"What's the difference between a Wahoo and a Hokie? They both got into Virginia Tech."
We've all heard it, and chances are, we've all wanted to punch the pretentious snob who said it. But how can the Hokie Nation rightfully criticize others' arrogance if we find ourselves becoming the pot that calls the kettle black?
Naturally, as Hokies, we're appalled by the insults hurled at us by those from Charlottesville. At a school with roughly 30,000 undergraduate students, how could someone possibly generalize that each person at Tech is simply there because they had to be? Or assume that we all wear camouflage and ride our cows to class?
Choosing a school to spend the next four years of your life at isn't as simple as analyzing the median GPA of the incoming freshman (excuse me, "first year") class, or the average salary of recent graduates. The perfect college is chosen based on where an individual feels most at home, by the strength of the specialized programs offered at the university...or by how delicious the dining-hall food is (Virginia Tech is #1, in case you forgot).
So why is it that many of us in the Hokie Nation who have felt unjustly criticized by others have let this academic superiority seep into our own culture? How many times have you heard someone call Radford students unintelligent, read a Yik-Yak questioning their validity as a university, or even said something arrogant about the Highlanders yourself? We've all done it.
An academic double-standed has been created at Virginia Tech; hate the jerk who calls you a backwoods idiot, but see no wrong in thinking that you're superior to the entire student body of another school.
The same type of academic division has even emerged within our own university. Many majors are regarded with an attitude of condescension.
"Oh, you're a history major? Good luck finding a job."
"Women and gender studies is a cop-out major."
"Is communication even a real degree?"
Assuming that someone chose a major just because it's considered "easy", belittles and unfairly stereotypes each individual within that course of study.
There are plenty of creative writing majors who are intelligent and capable enough to succeed in the engineering department, and there are also plenty of chemistry majors who are failing all of their classes.
Much like choosing a college, people choose a major based on their interests. Nobody should be expected to suffer through four years of classes that they hate simply to prove their intelligence to the rest of the world.
Yes, it's unfair for others to assume that all Hokies couldn't be Wahoos if we wanted to (but really, why would we?). It's also unfair for Hokies to label others as lesser based on the school they attend or their choice in major.
As Virginia Tech students we should set a standard of consideration and respect for those within the Hokie nation and outside of its borders, keeping the rivalries on the field and the insults lighthearted.
