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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   32822 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of February 20, 2023

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Usually, when I've seen people talk about "theater kids", I've got the feeling it's code for flamboyant homosexuality. However, Rod (who wouldn't have a problem with dissing flamboyant homosexuals directly anyway) seems to be using it as code for something else, but I can't quite catch what. Just being very expressive and dramatic?

I think it's more a reference to certain high school cliques. You had your theater kids, jocks, nerds, stoners, mean girls, goths, preppies, and so on. My vague recollection was that the kids that would go on to become politicians and leaders used to be drawn mostly from the jocks and preppies, and sometimes the nerds, whereas perhaps now the theater clique have become launched more influential people, probably via the power of performative social media, at the expense of the jocks and especially the nerds.

As someone who was a Theatre Kid, albeit not an example of the stereotype nor quite exactly surrounded by examples thereof, the general archetype/stereotype of the Theatre Kid generally is: quirky, high-energy, might act out, enthusiastic, hungry for success, reverently addicted to pop culture, probably has a Tumblr, stuff like that.

Just being very expressive and dramatic?

I've seen Anne Hathaway called a theater kid due to her Oscar campaign and that was basically what it boiled down to - being over-dramatic and too earnest

Might have been unfair (see her acceptance speech and judge for yourself) but there you go.

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