Freaks, Geeks, and Cool Kids : American Teenagers, Schools, and the Culture of Consumption

Review Murray Milner has done more than perhaps any other American sociologist to remind us that 'status' remains a primary mode of stratification, one that is dependent on cultural, not material power. He first set out this claim in his study of the Hindu caste system. In this new installment of his research program, he applies his considerable powers to American teenagers, and he shows how they produce caste systems of an equally deep and irrational kind. Freaks, Geeks, and Cool Kids is exemplary sociological research and theory. It is also wise and witty, and often touching as well. –Jeffrey C. Alexander, co-editor of The New Social Theory Reader: Contemporary Debates A rare book! Social science at its best, yet full of messages for parents, educators, and anybody who cares about the next generation. –Amitai Etzioni, author of My Brother's Keeper: A Memoir and a Message Milner explains why high school cliques have so much power and can inflict so much pain. Anyone who cares about adolescents--parents, teachers, principals, and teenagers themselves--should definitely read this book. I couldn't stop reading it, and can't wait to discuss it with my students. It is sociological analysis at its best!. –Caroline Hodges Persell, co-author of Preparing for Power: America's Elite Boarding Schools What do high school kids and Indian castes have in common? Murray Milner, expert on both, presents the results of a collective ethnography which is surely the most comprehensive sociological picture we have of high school society. Methodologically, theoretically, and substantively, this book is state of the art. –Randall Collins, author of Macrohistory: Essays in Sociology of the Long Run Countless books are written about the world of the teenager, but this one is unique in its discussion of the link between teen status systems and consumer culture. This scholarly study, based on two years of fieldwork with teens in one school and written interviews with teens in schools around the country, is recommended for students, researchers, and educators. –Library Journal, 2004 Product Description In this timely and insightful book, award-winning sociologist Murray Milner tries to understand why teenagers behave the way they do. Drawing upon two years of intensive fieldwork in one high school and 300 written interviews about high schools across the country, he argues that consumer culture has greatly impacted the way our youth relate to one another and understand themselves and society. He also suggests that the status systems in high schools are in and of themselves an important contributing factor to the creation and maintenance of consumer capitalism explaining the importance of designer jeans and designer drugs in an effort to be the coolest kid in the class.

In this timely and insightful book, award-winning sociologist Murray Milner tries to understand why teenagers behave the way they do. Drawing upon two years of intensive fieldwork in one highschool and 300 written interviews about high schools across the country, he argues that consumer culture has greatly impacted the way our youth relate to one another and understand themselves and society. He also suggests that the status systems in high schools are in and of themselves an important contributing factor to the creation and maintenance of consumer capitalism explaining the importance of designer jeans and designer drugs in an effort to be the coolest kid in the class.

Library Journal

Countless books are written about the world of the teenager, but this one is unique in its discussion of the link between teen status systems and consumer culture. Milner (Inst. for Advanced Studies in Culture, Univ. of Virginia; Status and Sacredness) contends that teens develop complex status systems to cope with the lack of power and choice they face in the institutional setting of their schools, whether public, private, or alternative. These systems, which operate similarly to Indian castes, provide a source of power and rank among peers. Milner argues that peer interaction is a key determiner to teen behavior, more significant than parenting styles, educational opportunities, or media campaigns. He explains that status systems thrive on symbols and consumerism patterns. And while teens are groomed to be consumers by adult modeling, they are also frequently the drivers of product development, as marketing research testifies. Thus, Milner argues, consumer culture is inextricably linked with the social patterns of teenagers. This scholarly study, based on two years of fieldwork with teens in one school and written interviews with teens in schools around the country, is recommended for students, researchers, and educators.-Lori Carabello, Ephrata P.L., PA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

"Freaks, Geeks, and Cool Kids argues that the teenage behaviors that annoy adults do not arise from hormones, bad parenting, poor teaching, or the media, but from adolescents' lack of power over the central features of their lives: they must attend school; they have no control over the curriculum; they can't choose who their classmates are. What teenagers do have is the power to create status systems and symbols that not only exasperate adults, but also impede learning and maturing. Ironically, parents, educators, and businesses are inadvertently major contributors to these outcomes." "An absorbing journey that stirs up a mixture of nostalgia and dismay, Freaks, Geeks, and Cool Kids shows how high school distills the worst features of American consumer society and shapes how we relate to our neighbors, partners, and coworkers. It also provides insight into how our schools and the lives of teenagers might be transformed."--Jacket Part 1. The puzzle and the tools Why do they behave like that? The tools for understanding Part 2. Explaining teens' behavior Fitting in, standing out, and keeping up Steering clear, hanging out, and hooking up Exchanges, labels, and put downs Part 3. Why schools vary The pluralistic high school Other kinds of schools Part 4. Teen status systems and consumerism Creating consumers Consuming life.