Posts Tagged ‘#drama’

The New Student Special: Oversensitive Disturbances

Friday, July 20th, 2018

I remember watching South Park and being intrigued by its newest character, PC Principal. He would become annoyed every time someone would disrespect a social/political movement even if it was unintentionally. The PC Principal in South Park was a parody of college students in their PC culture craze. It wasn’t until witnessing and being in unnecessary arguments that I realized how accurate this parody was.

As an Afro-Latina in a predominately white school, I was open to the fact that there would be ignorant people around me. I’m normally a very fiesty person and will snap back if anyone goes too far. However, after a few angry mini arguments with people at NYU, I figured out that it’s not worth it. From arguing in and even about elevators, yes elevators, you would be surprised as to how low some people’s breaking points are. It got to a point where allowed myself to go by the “silence is golden” rule. Now, I just say my opinion, and if someone disagrees especially in an immature manner, I will simply not respond or waste my precious sanity/energy to engage.

I once saw a student ripped apart in class for saying that girls in Middle Eastern countries were probably never complimented on their beauty and probably had low self-esteem. Although his wording may have been off, I was disgusted by how the class became piranhas and attacked his ignorance. He ended up apologizing, but was dismissed. The moment someone becomes rowdy and childish displays to me that I can’t engage in an intellectual discussion with them.

I first followed the “silence is golden” motto when my best friend’s white roommate told me the backstory as to why her friends called her racist. My best friend’s roommate, Lea, told her friends that she disliked Bruno Mars’ song That’s What I Like and in response her friends called her ignorant and racist. Lea continued to tell me that she would take time to process the argument, and call back her friends once she understood their perspective. I, being Tiana, told her that disliking a song does not make you racist and your friends don’t sound like friends. I was extremely confused as to why she was more than willing to “understand” a perspective based on ridicule. She proceeded to rant to me that when best friends argue, that they take time apart to understand the severity and eventually come back together. After she gave me these pre-Hulk vibes, I calmly said, “ I feel like you’re being extra, but good luck.” That is exactly how the conversation ended.  I could have told her more. I too dislike it when people are ignorant, but trying to educate someone through a harmless Bruno Mars song is calling for criticism especially since music is subjective, the song itself had no political connotation to it, and people will always have a different taste for great music. Trying to educate people when we live in a world where Google knows everything is redundant. Trying to argue with people who are fixed in their immaturity and bias, is completely useless.

I can definitely say that NYU has caused me to mature. I don’t fight over petty things as much and would rather maintain my happiness that having it crushed by some idiot.

Image credit:

By Tiana B.


