Grinds My Gears 4: Purpose of College

This one does not frustrate me that much, it just irks me.

I have a very Aristotelian, Socratic, and Emersonian view of college and people do not seem to get. I do not mean all people but many people. College is not all about getting a degree to get a better job, which in this economy doesn’t mean much, now if you go to college for pretty much any major, instead of working behind the cash register at McDonald’s like you would be had you not gone to college, you will be the manager and make like ten extra bucks an our if that. That is not my point. My point is college is not just about cramming before tests, regurgitating information back at professors during classes, and then by the next semester you barley remember anything except what you need to know that is relevant to your other courses. First of all that is not real learning taking place, second of all, it totally misses the point of college. College is also not primarily about a person’s first taste of freedom and about partying, doing many drugs, staying up late, having a horrible diet, and generally not giving a shit. College is about learning. In addition, college is about experiences. New experiences. Plenty of lectures and plays and movies and events and guest talkers and classes to sit in on and conversations to be had (and I suppose parties to go to as well). Since the 50’s colleges are where the social and political revolutions usually start, it is where people take a stand, fight back, revolt. It is about learning new things from new people you meet. And especially at a Liberal Arts College, about learning about all kinds of things from your friends in various majors. It is where conversation topics are on all the hot button events, elections controversial subjects, social and political strife!

Continuing this idea, my dad, as well as myself, had the idea and impression that the conversations at the tables at meals would be centered around the problems of the world, especially with all the new disturbing, fascinating, infuriating, and interesting things they learn in class each and every day. But no. the topics of conversations typically had are on silly things not art, not music, not philosophy, not history, not social problems, not political issues, but things like what’s for dinner, internet memes, facebook updaters, and mundane stuff like that. I understand that life is stressful and that classes, homework, studying, etc. However life is stressful and there are movies and friends and nights after dinner to chill and going to the mall, etc, this is college and if someone wants to talk about serious stuff, they should be allowed to talk about it then without the fear or people rolling their eyes, scoffing, sighing, or telling the person to shut up. I like talking about serious stuff. I like to talk about political and social issues, philosophic quandaries, etc. And I think in this time we live in with so much going on all over the world and here in our own country, with an election coming up, unemployment on the rise, the economic gap increasing, gay rights, abortion, and everything else that is going on right now—there is so much to discuss and talk about that should be talked about. Older issues to like racism, etc. But it seems as though no one wants to talk about anything ever. It just seems like they just want to stay in their own worlds and not deal with stuff, I know that is not true but it just seems that way sometimes.