Turncoats

[Tensleep]

I've been watching updates on ff.net for years and I've noticed a few (ha) stories about Socs feeling bad and making friends with the greasers or new Socs to town who go against the social norms and make friends with the lower class.

I've never read any of these, to tell you the honest truth. It's not that I think it's an unbelievable plot line, because it probably did happen, but I'm just not interested in the drama attached to these stories.

However, I thought there should be a thread here for these Socs.

So what're your thoughts? Like them, leave them, write them? What makes them interesting? Other random thoughts? Examples?

See ya in the funny papers!!!

Tens

[samanthamae]

Man, I see TONS of those stories. I've only gotten halfway through one then stopped. Ever since, I haven't read any.

Okay, the only way I see this as being possible is with Randy because he went through a change. He became slightly emotional, but honestly, Randy isn't really gonna go become best friends with Ponyboy because he feels bad for him.

And Cherry just becoming friends with all of the greasers is kind of the same thing with Randy, but I'd never believe that she would ask any greasers for a date, or even to hang out as friends.

However, there are a few Socy girls that "die to be a greaser". I've seen stories with summaries like "So-and-so was born a Soc, but wishes she were a greaser." Hmm...one time, my friend told me if we lived in the Outsider's world, I'd be a greaser, and I was insulted.

Socs don't wanna be greasers, and they don't really feel too emotional. Although you catch Cherry and Randy showing some, you have to remember they recently lost their boyfriend/best friend, if you know what I mean.

That's my opinion.

[zevie]

Yikes... To me, this has a element of Mary Sue. Not that it necessarily has to be, but to have that much courage, to be different, and, for a generally greaser-sympathizing audience, to be a sort of reformed bad guy, the Soc character would have to have a heck of a lot of normal traits (ie bad ones) to escape the Mary Sue status. In my opinion. I have read a couple of ones where the greasers and Socs get each other but are *still* Socs and greasers, and they're usually really good, because that's sort of the message anyway, I think, that we're all the same humans and all but flawed. Like Randy and Cherry's positions in the book. It's just the big dramatic reforms that turn me off a little. Socette falls for the bad boy greaser and screams at her peers for treating him like a second class citizen. Although, like anything, even that could probably be done well in the right hands.

[Keira]

To me, this sounds like a case of self-indulgence.

How many of us haven't ever had even the slightest desire to be friends with the gang? And how many of us know that in all reality there's a slim chance of us doing so? I can only imagine that there is a large majority of the fandom who come from well-to-do families, and though they appreciate that fact, they also wish they could be the ones to make an exception to the rule, go against the grain, and be friends with the Curtis's and their friends -- and by doing so they create their own mailable Outsiders world to tweak the circumstances to try and make it believable.

As to whether or not it's realistic -- sure it is. My family isn't rich by any means, but some of my good friends in high school were children of professors, doctors, and even one ex-secret agent (though, I don't know if that really makes much money, lol). Social class and money differences didn't make a huge difference in the scheme of things. It all depends upon circumstances.

[latch22]

I agree, but I will add something. My family isn't well-off, but I've had friends from both ends of the spectrum. I don't mean to make any judgements, but I find it interesting to note that the only friends I've kept are at the lower end. I mean, they're living off of food stamps right now. The people that I associated with who had plenty of money made me uncomfortable. I didn't mind that they had more than me, but I thought that they were incredibly shallow and spoiled and I couldn't relate to them at all.

So... I dunno... just chiming in...

I guess my point is that if money were that much of an issue in the area then I don't see a conversion happening.

[hahukumkonn]

Hmm - I don't really object much to 'crossing the tracks' type fics (After all, bookworm2u and I ended up using each others' characters in our respective fics ), I agree that they can be done well, or done poorly.

[Tensleep]

Ok, I kind of forgot about this thread *applauds self for that one* so I'll voice my opinion in here.

I don't really see it as self indulgence. I know how it can come across like that, but the "Me and my friends travel back in time and meet the gang" or "the guys take in a random girl" are more what I think of when it comes to self indulgence. I mean, I've been at both ends of the spectrum and I can't honestly see how making yourself poor to hang out with boys works as an indulgence.

I do find the plot highly unlikely, though. Samanthamae makes a few really good points. The storyline automatically puts characters like Cherry and Randy completely out of character. I think they would have to have a lot of background and POV's from all the characters, mainly the Soc, to explain this change of heart. I personally think that Randy or Cherry would not act like this because as much as we hate him, they loved Bob as a friend and brother and boyfriend. Kind of a betrayal of his memory to go and make friends with his killers, huh?

At the same time, I can see them being on friendly terms. Maybe telling their other friends to lay off or something small like that.

My point is, if I had one...that's questionable. Anyways. Writers have to consider that there are a few things in fan fiction that can't be changed and come across as believable. That leads me into inventing Socs to fill this purpose. Still makes no sense to me. They're going to be social outcasts among both Greasers and Socs. So then we have rich kids moving to town and making friends with the wrong groups. Again, no sense since the Greasers would be able to pick out money from a mile away....

I think I'll end that there. Basically I don't really think it can work well. It can work, but I've never seen it be anything but Hokey. I don't know, maybe I should work on being as optimistic as Zevie

[latch22]

I think that it's self-indulgent because the reality of having so little money and the difficulties of the situation that the greasers are in are almost never addressed. The characters go against their money, or they lose it somehow--and oftentimes in a way that is never truly explained--only to prove that discriminating against the greasers is wrong and that Socs are all terrible, how they're the anomaly of their kind and "not like all those other Socs." Their only motive is to be rebellious and demonstrate today's mores. They think that it's cool that they can hang with the greasers and teach people a better way simultaneously.

And that doesn't make a good story to me. The greasers' way of life is romanticized and idealized, and the hardships are glossed over or thrown out of proportion. What about the everyday realities of barely being able to pay the water bill? Or scraping up the cash to fix something when it breaks down if you can't do it yourself?

It could be done, I suppose, but I don't often see it done well.