Free time in college means a lot of things: finally able to catch up on sleep, play some video games or read a novel you couldn’t because of class. But for a lot of people, especially during the weekends (or Thirsty Thursday as it’s called), it’s a time to party. You know the gist; you dress up, get some friends (or not), head out to a place with loud music and flashing lights. The venue is usually a bar, frat house or just someone’s apartment. Alcohol is almost never absent. What results for most people is a good time, refreshments and occasionally, bringing someone home.
Just bear in mind to drink responsibly and be careful of certain people that seem less than reliable, since the latter tends to ruin people’s lives, to put it mildly. But that’s what I’m talking about right now.
But while this lifestyle is almost completely synonymous with college life, not everyone likes doing this. Like a hipster who doesn’t enjoy mainstream things, some college students don’t like drinking and dancing to loud music every weekend. Of course, if this fact becomes known, there’s always questions that seem to be too common.
Do you like to drink? Yeah, just on a lesser basis.
Do you smoke? Me personally, no.
Do you not like to have fun? No, I like having fun. It’s just that my idea of fun doesn't always involving dancing while progressively getting more intoxicated.
Do you not have friends? Ok, that’s enough.
A lot of the time, people tend to ostracize someone simply because they’re different (You want proof? Look at Donald Trump’s presidential campaign). Unintentional or not, many people seem to forget that this kind of thought and behavior only serves to divide us even more. This “us and them” thought can be found anywhere, not just politics; but in regular life, and college is unfortunately, not an exception.
Let’s take an example. One of my most favorite pop culture franchises is Marvel Comics; because of my passion for it, I know a lot about the comics, its heroes, movies, and the like. Someone else, on the other hand, might only know about Marvel superheroes through the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Our level of knowledge of the subjects might differ, but ultimately, both that other person and myself are both fans of Marvel.
In that same regard, my level of passion for partying may be lower than yours, but that doesn’t make me less of a party-goer/lover than you are. So don’t treat me, or anyone else, as such.
Yes, you can say I’m missing out because, well I am; I’m not exposed to drinks, loud music, people using bad pickup lines, and even fights in case things go south.
But don’t treat me like I committed a crime. Then again, if wanting to party less and/or not liking partying at all is a crime; then I am guilty AF.
P.S: If you’re too drunk to walk home at the end of the night, just call an Uber/Lyft. It’s better and safer that way.
