outcast

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An outcast (also known as an unpopular person, a reject, or a social reject), is a person who is rejected, and sometimes isolated, by society in general.

Contrary to popular belief, an outcast is not the same thing as a loner, an exile or a renegade, rather a loner is someone who chooses to isolate themselves from general human interaction but remains neutral or better toward the original group, an exile is someone who is banished from a society because of a crime they have committed (or been accused of), and a renegade chooses to isolate themselves from a group and becomes antagonistic toward the original group.

People will often avoid contact or communication with an outcast, and sometimes even restrain themselves from going near them. Generally, in these extreme cases, any individual who has sympathy for an outcast, and tries to befriend or socialise with them, may cause themselves to lose popularity, or even become an outcast themselves.

Usually, a person is an outcast because they are unpopular, that is, they are generally disliked, or even hated by other people and have a low social status because of it. However, sometimes a person is an outcast because they are feared by other people, and therefore rejected (as other people may try to avoid them). In severe cases, a social outcast may become depressed, as they may endure much persecution and discrimination from other people.

In films and literature

The use of characters as social outcasts is a common and effective idea. Generally in films, the protagonist is the outcast, rejected and hated by society, but during the film, or near the end of it, they become more respected, or even a hero. Additionally, the antagonist, or villain may be a popular, respected character, who bullies the protagonist(s). A classic example of this is Balto, in which the main protagonist (Balto) is an outcast, or Quasimodo from the film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, who is also a social outcast.

See also

• Social stigma
• Persona non grata
• Social rejection