Disclaimer:
Now before I go offending anyone, I’d like to make it clear that the point of this article isn’t to discredit individuality or feminism or shame a woman out of relishing in the liberation of the 21st century. On a similar note, I am not putting myself above any other being because, I too partake in the culture being described even if I don’t favor it. That being said, this is more of an observation on society today critiquing a culture not a group of people.
College. A time to explore and experiment. To work hard but play harder. To live and learn. To walk into unknown scenarios and walk out with…a shirt from last night’s conquest? Wait. What? Yes. You know exactly what I’m talking about. It is 2016 and if you haven’t hooked up with a random stranger in a random basement then people are probably questioning your student status at university. The previous scenario is a standard that everyone is expected to hit once they enter college—sad, but true—and if you don’t, well, you’ll just be referred to as prude, no big deal.
Campuses across America are plagued with this new idea of “hookup culture.” It has become embedded in the environment and as a student, I can personally confirm that there’s no escape. What I cannot seem to fathom is the why. Why do we engage in fleeting moments of pointless intimacy, not just on occasion but in excess. Honestly, sometimes its a little disappointing to watch. I mean obviously you value yourself, but what about others, do you value them at all?
My theory? Time and a lack of desire for commitment. I guess we spent time divulging into another’s personality before simply because we could. But in the age of a tinder swipe, why bother? I mean, why would you want to actually create a connection with someone when you could simply be objectified and forgotten? Right? Uh, no, wrong. Look, all I’m saying is that the reward that comes with unraveling the mystery of another is its own adventure. One that takes time, but creates something so much more worthwhile. It doesn’t leave you hollow, it adds meaning. Its not that people don’t want to commit, I just think that everyone’s scared. Of being walked away from, or being let down. But if we would just take these risks at least the journey would be worth it. Currently we’re in a free-for-all with no repercussions and it’s a little unnerving. The utter lack of emotion takes away a foundational element of being human.
What we have right now is a culture that is a propagates escapism via booze-driven excursions with various individuals. It’s all fun and games before it becomes routine and void. All that surrounds us are a plethora of excuses for why we shouldn’t put forth the energy. We don’t care because there is assumption that nobody around us cares—one which simply isn’t true. Nobody’s getting married or forcing us into any arrangement; all that I propose is letting down our guards and venturing back into a realm where something of value was created when people took an interest in one another. Because, to be quite frank, right now we are behaving like animals and it isn’t attractive.