Conformity can be a suffocating thing, especially amidst a society paved with Hollywood ideals and unrealistic expectations. Many people naturally feel the need to stand out of the crowd.
However, a disappointingly large number still get sucked into the trap of what is portrayed as attractive. By both personality and first glance, it is difficult to differentiate one student on campus from another.
As glances are made left and right, I see pod people. I see clones. We are living in the age of stupid. When did stupid become sexy?
A certain culture has been developed and is practiced on campus. It is a nameless one, but destructive in every way. It encourages students to act unintelligent, and expect the same from everyone they meet.
The cookie-cutter image of the “ideal” college student can be seen at any party. Girls spend hours getting ready with the heaviest of makeup and the highest of heels just to get attention for five minutes. Half the time, this attention won’t go much further than a drunken guy spilling beer on her at a frat party.
If college is a time of self-discovery, the odds of “finding yourself” by playing beer pong every night and attempting to score in more ways than one seems like a sorry attempt.
Although there is nothing wrong with letting loose now and then, many students spend more time letting loose than attending class. Every student fortunate enough to be enrolled at ASU has the world at their fingertips. Why do some choose to never open their front door?
“Stupidity appears to be contagious, and you can catch it from the media you consume,” said Roger Dooley on Neuromarketing’s website.
Reality TV shows are scary reflections of what some young people consider to be socially acceptable. Acting belligerent or promiscuous is common nature at social gatherings. Personal interests and intellectual passions are things that connect people on a meaningful level. Yet these things are missing from social interactions.
It’s frightening to see so many people hide who they really are to fit some twisted image developed by society. Originality may not always be the safest route, but finding someone who you are genuinely compatible with is worth the risk.
While commuting to work this morning, I took note of the types of people I saw riding public transportation. For the most part, everyone appeared to be normal, modestly-dressed businessmen and women preoccupied with a book or cup of coffee.
Not one person looked like the pod people I often see on campus. Aside from inevitably looking overworked and tired, everyone appeared to have a direction, a place to go to and a life to live that day. These people were only a few years older than ASU undergrads, but the maturity and self-awareness assured me that the “age of stupid” is fleeting.
Maybe it’s okay to have a few Jersey Shore nights in college, as long as we read a book the next morning.
Reach the columnist at inovak@asu.edu.
