Anonymous App makes being rude all too easy
Yik Yak is an anonymous sharing app that has taken our school by storm, and I enjoy it as much as the next person. It often makes me laugh, and is very relatable for university students. Comments are even usually respectful, considering the fact that they are anonymous. However, a reoccurring theme seems to be bashing on any major that isn’t yours, mocking its “easier, lighter work load,” and complaining that these students can’t imagine the rigor of your program.
The targets of these posts are usually Arts majors, and I happen to be an Arts student. I must admit I am not totally innocent in regards to this issue; I have felt resentment to other programs in the past, but I can also say I have realized it was wrong and unfair. I could write an article about why the humanities are important and defend the plan I have for my future, but I don’t think that is the real issue. I am genuinely happy every day I go to class. I love what I study and I work hard. I feel as though I am learning so much, and, in the end, that is all that matters, because that is what I’m here for. Instead, I wonder why people are so unhappy or insecure that they feel the need to put down their peers.
First of all, I don’t understand why it is necessary to hate on other students when what they are studying literally doesn’t affect you at all. Quite frankly, the negative comments don’t make any sense to me. Perhaps others are having a hard time in their program and they need validation that their work is in fact the hardest. Perhaps it seems as though the people in other programs don’t do as much work because those people time-manage more effectively, subsequently allowing them more time for leisure. Maybe the people bemoaning the amount of work they have to do allocate time poorly during the week, and are then mad when they can’t go out on the weekend. An integral part of growing up is owning up to the choices you have made, instead of externalizing your frustrations. If people channeled the energy they spend hating on “inferior majors” into their extremely hard and copious amounts of schoolwork, maybe they would have an easier time.
Secondly, I think it is obvious that we need people to be in different programs. No matter what the program is, variety is the spice of life. When an engineer needs a patent for their amazing invention, they are going to need a lawyer. When a writer has carpel tunnel and bad eyesight from all their time spent on their work, they will need a doctor. It legitimately doesn’t make sense to demand everyone take the same program just because some people think certain fields are superior or that all of the jobs are in particular fields. It makes sense to let people take what they want, because we can’t all do the same thing. However, if everyone applied to the same program, it would have been much more competitive for the complainers to get in, and maybe I wouldn’t even have a problem.
We need to start supporting each other, instead of tearing each other apart. We need to try encouraging people to do what they’re passionate about – trust me, it really isn’t that hard. One of my favourite things is seeing someone get excited over something. If you are an engineer and you want to figure out how to make more fuel-efficient cars, I am seriously impressed – what an amazing goal! If you are in commerce and you just got a co-op placement, please tell me about it and tell me why you are excited about the company. If you are an Aggie and are doing research that will help feed me – everyone needs food, so thank you! If you are in philosophy and you had a reading or a lecture that changed the way you look at the world, that is honestly fascinating. I could give so many other examples, because our university offers so many wonderful programs. Take a genuine interest in all the truly amazing things the students at Guelph do, and I guarantee you will find some people who would love talk. You might just learn something new.