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Campus Life - Letters from Ohio State UniversityThe highs and lows of partyingBy Akio Iijima
A typical party offers free beer and opportunities to make friends, find a date and dance. Even though bars and fraternities are common places for drinks and parties like any other college, the majority of parties take place in private houses. Some parties are small and closed, but as the temperature gets warm enough to stay outside, large parties where guests can mingle on balconies and in courtyards dominate the campus nightlife. Normally, these involve a couple of kegs of beer and rap played so loudly that the whole house vibrates to its beat. The number of guests proves the popularity of the host.
I used to go to these parties in my freshman year. I wanted to hang out with the new friends I had made in the dormitory and be exposed to the party culture that young Americans can get so excited about. It was fun for a while, but my interest waned because it was hard to meet people I could be bothered meeting for a second time. Of course, a lot of people make friends and find dates at parties, but on campus there are other ways to socialize. Others feel the same way. Many friends of mine stopped going to these large parties after freshman year. The typical image of one of these large parties is a lot of people looking bored because the only reason they came is because they couldn't find anything better to do and they didn't want to feel like losers left out from the "popular" crowd. People stand around talking in monotones among themselves over beer, sometimes interrupting their dull conversations to look around for people they know or something of interest. Not that they would do anything if they spotted someone or something. And when they get tired of standing up the whole night, they just drag themselves wearily home. I think mass entertainment, like MTV, projects the image of the "successful" college life upon teenagers: alcohol, romance and hanging out in crowds, especially with "cool" people. Many college students are constrained by these images. To me, this whole party culture seems vain, a continuation of high-school culture where all that kids crave is popularity or not being branded losers. It is not that I do not like partying or that partying is bad. It is just that I would rather drink and dance with a small number of good friends. Recently at my place, my best friend from Germany and I hosted a party together, one that we made sure was a little different from regular American parties. We made it a potluck dinner party and prepared cocktails instead of beer. We played Eurobeat techno and popular Turkish singer Tarkan instead of rap. We played many games with randomly selected participants so that strangers could interact more easily. In the end, I really enjoyed it and so did all my American friends.
Shukan ST: March 7, 2003 (C) All rights reserved |