Don't discriminate. Hate everyone equally

The first week of classes is hardly as easy as everyone says it is.

You find yourself confronted with a few metric tons of new people in new classes that you have to get used to, and, chances are, a solid 90 percent of those people are imbeciles.

Being the progressive 21st-century kind of guy I am, I don’t want discriminate.

So, I hate everyone equally.
 
At least, until given reason otherwise.

Having made it to my first class Monday, I slouched into my seat and tucked in for the ride. Almost immediately, a few guys, who most people I know would deem as “frat stars,” placed themselves directly behind me. I allowed myself a peek, and my fears were confirmed. Ties. Sperries. Backwards sports hats. Strike one.

We almost made it through class without incident, but, in the last minute, a boy near the front began asking a series of pointless questions. No one was having it, myself included. Strike two.

Then, Frat Star 1, Frat Star 2 and Frat Star 3 began hurling a slew of mumbled insults regarding the inquisitive boy’s ethnicity. Strike three.

Now, I was just as aggravated as the gentlemen behind me. I had places to be, and no one was leaving the classroom until this guy had his every last thought out in the open. But, my beef was with the kid’s entirely irrelevant questions. His race was beside the point.

You may be asking, “Dane, if you’re not going to bring up the annoying kid’s ethnicity, then why mention these boys behind you were frat stars?” To which I would reply, “Valid question.” Here’s why.

Because the inquisitive boy didn’t choose his ethnicity. He chose to be a pain and ask all those dumb questions. That’s fair.  

Frat Stars 1, 2 and 3 chose to act like idiots and perpetuate stereotypes of a society they decided to join. So, at least in my book, poking fun at their social identities is fair game.

For anyone keeping score at home, there were five people acting like jerks in this scenario — the inquisitive kid who dragged class into overtime, the three merry frat stars with their prejudices and myself. Yes, me.

Why do I feel entitled to judge these people? Who died and made me king of the castle?

I’m being just as awful and hypercritical as anyone else in this situation, but I accept that and feel no shame. I welcome all the hate and shade that should be thrown on me.

The cold, hard truth is that, at some point every single day, someone is going to be annoyed with you. Someone is not going to like you. They will think they are justified to doing so, and they very well may be.

Just don’t beat at the stereotypes and enforce bigotry of ethnicity, race, creed, sexuality or whatever. Loathe people for who they are and not what they are.

­— wdmcdona@indiana.edu