OPINION & EDITORIAL
Fix division, not location
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Also by Jason Smathers:
- No middle way on juvie switch? (February 5, 2008)
- Stopping Dane's District 5 yawn (January 29, 2008)
- Divided we stand, united we fall? (January 21, 2008)
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by Jason Smathers
Monday, February 11, 2008
Oh no. Don’t use that word again.
Really, we talk about the divide between Wisconsin natives
and out-of-state transplants as if it’s a war of epic proportions. Instead, it
ends up having the social value of a rumble between the Jets and Sharks. And it’s
just as ridiculous.
But sure, there is a problem: We actually employ these
ridiculous stereotypes in day-to-day interactions.
The average Wisconsin native will argue, “But I’ve seen
them!” Ah, I too have heard of some who move among us in overpriced clothing,
paying no heed to passersby or traffic. They treat money like confetti,
complain too much and expect subservience from the rest of the population — be
it student or professor.
Yes, these people exist. They’re called “assholes.” And
believe me, they’re a far more diverse group than the geographically limited
subsection we’ve designated here. I should know: I’m a card-carrying member,
but I don’t go to all the meetings.
However, the slander we’ve placed upon the entire
coast-based population is not an accurate representation of the character of
those individuals. Sure, there is the occasional spoiled child who goes
coasting through his or her educational free-ride only to crash out back in his
parents’ house with a degree in one of the liberal arts, but the perceived
divide far outweighs the actual built-in flaws. And much of that divide comes
from our misunderstandings of each other.
So it’s intuitive that we should integrate, right? Foreign
exchange programs are in order: shipments from Sellery to Towers, Ogg to
Statesider and Langdon can have some sort of bussing program. Good luck with
parking.
Ah, but you’d be wrong. You see, I’ve taken part in the
program. And let me assure you: Living together in harmony is never going to
happen if the surroundings aren’t conducive to it.
Two years — given a fluke regarding an awful roommate
situation and an apartment showing that didn’t go quite as planned — I ended up
signing a contract in Towers. The sparkle of their marble counter-topped reception
desk and glass-walled computer lab seemed to provide perfect living conditions
for those subjected to the occasional cockroach infestation and vomit-covered
bathrooms.
Weight rooms with televisions built into the stride
machines. A games room with polished wood countertops, poker tables, foosball
tables and a television with an obscenely large screen. The study room was the
same, except no foosball. The dining hall was the icing on the cake — a series
of professional cooks making delectable meats, pasta, desert and fried food —
all you can eat. Once a month, they would provide a special dinner where they
put down white tablecloths and serve specialties such as veal. Yes, veal.
The community aspect? Well, that’s a mixed bag. There are no
dens in which students congregate and bond, just a poorly lit hall with
security cameras. There are resident assistants, and they do plan activities,
sure. But when one of the first activities you give them is a beer pong lesson,
getting them to come to any discussions or participate in “quality time” is a
farce.
That’s not to say that people didn’t make an effort. One
Floridian freshman in the room directly above me hoped to foster community,
waiting patiently for others on her floor to stop by and talk. Instead, what we
both saw was an experiment in awkwardness: They see the door open, look to see
if anyone’s in there, see a face, recoil and leave.
Certainly, the dorms are partially to blame for this
behavior; waiting on hand-and-foot only results in a community of
self-interested, disengaged residents with no desire to move. But what prompts
this sort of living arrangement to come into style in the first place?
Now, you could simply point to this as an example that
reinforces the stereotypes, but admit it: If you were placed in a situation of
relative affluence, with every amenity at your fingertips while surrounded by
negative temperatures and a hostile native population that is ready to
categorize you as a joke, would you really want to leave the safety of your
bubble?
It’s nice to say we should reach out to each other and live
in harmony, but it’s not going to work if we continue to group students into
pointless geographical categories as soon as they arrive. Perhaps we joke about
those out-of-state students because it seems like a more respectable outlet for
our prejudices; they’re different, but everything’s so superficial that we’re
allowed to be a little more vitriolic and hateful.
But in fact, it’s far more dangerous. If some are so openly
antagonistic toward students because they come from a different part of the
country, what does that say about the severity of those prejudices we know not
to speak about in public? What kind of diversity is that?
So living together might help, but Wisconsin natives have to bury the stereotypes first. Affluent or poor, out-of-state or in-state, we still go to the same classes, same bars and same school. Let’s act like it for a change.
After all, fashion is so overrated.
Jason Smathers (jsmathers@badgerherald.com)
is a senior majoring in history and journalism.
Anonymous (February 11, 2008 @ 2:30pm):
good article.
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