Sunday, August 4, 2013

Collegiate Thoughts: Why Judge?

So I haven't posted for more than three weeks. Not my problem. I don't feel particularly bad about that, and I'm skeptical that anyone is feeling particularly offended about this. I have a life outside of this blog, and I'm sure that any reader that stumbles across this will leave it at that, since you're all forgiving and non-judgemental. At least you should try to be. It's a free country, and people should be free to live their own lives without needing to fear that people will pass unfair and uninformed opinions on one's choices.

Guess what. That is my point.



As I grow closer to my move in date to the second party school in the country, I've seen, heard, and read several opinions that came across as judgmental. I am not here to point fingers. But I would like to make a point.

The different opinions that I have seen have to do with choices, and look down on choices that many people make while in college. Such as the choice that many people make when it comes to alcohol.



Story time. Sarah (Make believe person. Roll with me.) decides as a freshman in college that she wants to socialize and make friends. So she goes out a couple nights a week. Every once in a while, she has a drink.

Not the best story. No real conflict, and no resolution. But that's the point of college. Whatever choices you make in college are more than likely going to have a part in how the rest of your life turns out. But just because Sarah chooses to have a few drinks doesn't mean that she's setting herself up for failure. It's her choice. Sarah might end up being at the top of her class, or she could be a flunkie who drops out after the first semester. But choosing to drink is HER CHOICE.

I am by no means saying that underage drinking is a recommended thing to do. It's dangerous, unhealthy, and can have all sorts of side effects. But it isn't my, or anyone else's, place to judge people.

What's been bothering me is when some people act as if they're better than people like Sarah. Just because I personally have no plans to drink, doesn't mean I have a right to act like I'm superior to people like Sarah.

Acting that way is VERY disrespectful. I don't care if you're the Virgin Mary herself. Acting as if you're better than others because "There's no way I would ever be caught drinking," when it's guaranteed that other students will be. It's rude. It's disrespectful. They're human, just as you are. So leave that attitude behind you when you leave. Or sooner, so the rest of us don't have to deal with it.

And on a side note, I'm hearing how some people don't want to go to certain colleges because they are "party schools". For crying out loud, people. This is AMERICA. The college can be MIT, Northwest Missouri State, Columbia, University of Iowa, Michigan State, or Northwestern. If there is a group of people leaving the puberty years, with access to alcohol, and a chance to procrastinate, then there WILL be drinking. And plenty of it.

I've said my piece. This is my opinion.

3 comments:

  1. You hit the nail on the head, chica. I like this. It's far to easy to do the "I'm better than that. I wouldn't stoop to that level." God says to not point out the speck of dust in your neighbor's eye when you aren't even looking at the plank that's in your own eye, and this is the same thing. Just because, for example, Josie doesn't drink, it doesn't give her a reason to be sanctimonious. Josie has her faults and stumbling blocks, they're just not the same as the ones that Sarah has, and Josie has no room to point fingers.
    Sure, people do things that are against our beliefs and standards, but they hold themselves to their own standards and we don't know what those are.
    In short, I guess I just reiterated your blog post accidentally, but I really really like what you're saying. You're very eloquent. Has anyone ever told you that you should go to college for English? :)

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    1. You're probably not the first. And hopefully won't be the last.

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  2. Billie, you beautiful human being. One of the few people I have met who judges absolutely NO ONE. <3 You are literally probably one of the best people in the world.

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