Kevin Marshall
Per. 6 English
10/24/06
This I Believe Essay
To be a follower is to be “wanna be,” but to not follow is a big step. I don’t want to follow but sometimes I do and others they listen to me. In Oak Park kids have the same styles as each other, only talk to 20 people, and are in groups, from the cool to the stool back up to the crazy back down to the followers. At Elcomino everyone is different, by race all the way to what they wear. My beliefs are that a person should be themselves and not what others think that they should be, act, or appear. We act bigger than we really are this goes for some of my friends that act like paintball pros or “pimps” as they call themselves (which is slang for girl magnet). I’ve met pros and even the “pimps” and all act, walk, talk, and breath like me and you. To act regular is to act big, but to act big is to be very weird!
One of my new friends from Oak Park High acts very much like a pimp. Jarred (a model I once met) is a big goof ball. My friend wears the whole suit, giant shirt, pants, and of coarse the Bling Bling Baby. Jarred wears what ever he wants whenever he wants. A big quote that my friend uses is,”Sup Ya’l” Jarred says (simply), “Hi guys,” so what sounds normal and what sounds weird my friend or Jarred “the pimp.”
A majority of my friends act like professional paintballers and not themselves at all. I’ve played with, practiced with, and even talked with professional paintballers. The pros are serious during games and practices, but off the field they are very, very different people. My friends are all paintball but they have no money and paintball is an expensive sport. While they are living 100% paintball I’m livin large with the pros.
To be you means to be the big man around. My “wanna be pimp” shouldn’t try to be more than what he already is and be proud of it. Pro paintballers are weird and fun, but my friends have to learn to relax and not be so crazy. I’m weird AND PROUD OF IT!!! I don’t try to follow the crowd except for certain things, so don’t be a “wanna be” be the “wanna be.”