3-1 Discussion: The Culture of Plastics
After watching the brief scene from Mean Girls the Anthropological Core Concept I have selected to
focus is assimilation. This seems to be the experience that all adolescents have during their time in high
school. The process by which various ethnic groups converge is known as assimilation. When a group
assimilates, whether in a social or educational context, there usually isn't any distinction between the
earlier groups (Cole, N. L., 2018). It may also involve creating information so that it accords with how
someone presently perceives their environment. For example, when someone migrates to another
country with a very different culture, it may be difficult to assimilate into that culture and society which
can be a daunting experience as it is different from what that person is accustomed to. It seems from
the brief scene that the group voiced its expectations for assimilation. It also seems to show "The
Plastics" establishing guidelines for what this group should adhere to and observe. If a group member
disobeys these "rules," they will be excluded from lunch events and other group activities based on
specific types of behavior or faux pas. An example from the scene is when it is stated that either jeans or
track pants can only be worn on Fridays, and if this rule was violated, the offender would have to sit with
the "art freaks."
References
Cole, N. L. (2018, January 26). Assimilation - how different cultural groups become more alike.
ThoughtCo. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.thoughtco.com/assimilation-definition-
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