Room 101: Persuasive Writing

If I could put one thing in Room 101, I would choose to put people who act like they are better than everyone else. These people are an extreme pet-peeve of mine. Usually, these people are actually extremely insecure, or feel like they have something to prove, so they act like they are better than every other person so that they can give themselves confidence. If this type of person was banished from the earth, I think everyone would be happier. The way they act benefits no other person except them. These people put down others to raise themselves up. But, they don't know that there are much better ways to make yourself feel good about . And, you can do it while making other people happy at the same time! I understand that everyone has insecurities, but why people are snobby and put other people down, I just can't stand.

I've had many acquaintances with people like this. For instance, my family is a part of a large circle of friends. Almost all of my parents' friends who are a part of the group have kids. Most of the kids are older than I am, and although the age difference isn't an issue today, it was when I was younger. My friend and I were always excluded from the group of older kids. They would sit together in the host of the party's bedroom, talking. Always, they would lock the door before my friend and I could get in. Sometimes my friend and I would spend a whole evening begging, kicking the door, until they all came out to go downstairs to eat. Those moments when they came out both good and bad: good in the sense that we got to see them, but bad because they didn't recognize us. When they came back, they would lock the door again. We thought they were so cool, but it was really painful when they didn't act like we were people, too. For me, it was the worst, though. My friend got by sometimes because she had an older brother who was a very accepted member of the older kids' group. I was the youngest of the people who could actually "participate" in a conversation. But, they just viewed me as my friend's sidekick, and that really hurt me because I'm sure I could have gotten along with them if they had just given me a chance. Most of those kids who excluded me are now in college, and now they know that I'm "cool," too. It's sad that they treated me that way for so many years because I think they would have liked me if they'd made an effort to get to know me.

Now I am the same age that they were when they acted that way to me. But, I've vowed to be different than them--if a kid smaller than me wants to join in on a conversation I'm having with my group of older friends, I will definitely let them. Because, I know how it feels to be put down by people who think they are better than you, and it's a terrible feeling.