During my years growing up in southern Louisiana, I always felt like I didn't belong within the societal norms of the south. One aspect of me that is considered diverse is that I am an atheist in a very religious community, which made it more difficult for me to connect with people in the area I grew up in. Another reason I haven't been able to log in is because I don't. I don't like the activities my peers did, like hunting and fishing. Growing up, I always felt like an outcast. Most of my peers also liked drinking and camping, and those things didn't appeal to me. The middle and high schools I attended weren't very diverse at all. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The concept of someone having an interest different from what was considered normal was foreign to most of my classmates in middle and high school. Then, when I started middle school, I started to notice that all of my classmates were fitting into groups of friends with similar interests; however, I still couldn't find a group that would accept me for who I was. I thought about pretending to be interested in the things that most kids my age were interested in to feel like I belonged, but in the back of my mind I knew it would be a mistake to pretend to be someone that I'm not. I didn't want people to like me for who I pretended to be; I wanted them to love me for who I really was. My class only had about 100 students, which didn't give me many opportunities to meet new people. Throughout middle school, I didn't have a best friend or even a group of friends to talk to because I felt like I was too different from everyone else, which made me feel very alone. From the start of high school, I noticed that not much had changed since middle school; However, one thing that changed was that my classmates teased me because of my indifference. For example, I remember one particular day from my freshman art class very well. One of the most popular girls in my class had just found out I was an atheist and started being curious about me. I respectfully answered all of her questions about my belief in religion or lack thereof, but she insisted on ridiculing my answers and teasing me for my answers. Just because I didn't have the same beliefs as this girl, she felt the need to try to downplay my beliefs and call me stupid for having my own beliefs. She continued to tease me in front of the whole class because I had a different point of view on a subject that was not considered normal for her. From that day on, everyone in my high school knew I was an atheist because of the ridicule she gave me. Me. That's when I realized I never wanted to be anything like that. I have never put someone down just because I have a different view on something like them. The whole situation made me feel even more excluded because people at my school didn't seem to want to associate with an atheist person. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. .Get a Custom EssayIn conclusion, I don't believe it is okay, under any circumstances, to tease someone just because they don't have the same opinion as you on something. Young people, like high school students, tend to always think that what they believe is right, which is simply not the case. Respect is a. (2008)..