By now, thousands have seen the viral video of the UConn student who was arrested after a drunken altercation in a dining hall, last week. I've watched the video a few times, and at first glance, it's nothing short of hilarious. Everyone I've showed the video to says the same exact thing, "At what point does someone come in and beat the crap out of this kid?" Unfortunately, he doesn't get the beating he so desperately deserves. The second time through, another notion replaced my amusement. This kid is my peer -- how embarrassing. For those who haven't seen the video, here it is.
My generation, also known as Generation Y or the millennial generation, is tech-savy, efficient, and somewhat progressive. Ground-breaking discoveries and developments are routine to us, and the latest technology is as much a part of popular culture as anything in Hollywood. The effects of said technology on our generation are well documented, and we're often even criticized for it. A friend of mine calls us the Worldstar Generation, which I'd say is pretty accurate (if you're confused, lookup worldstar -- you'll get it). When we see a ridiculously spoiled kid like this abusing a completely innocent worker, our first instinct is to whip out our phones in hopes catching the next viral video rather than to help this poor guy out. Our Snapchat stories are longer than most of our conversations.
I was thoroughly impressed with this man's self control. It probably took everything he had to resist knocking the kid out, although having multiple cameras on him probably helped. As a member of this kid's generation, and a fellow college student, I'm absolutely terrified of the future. While this event may not directly impact me all the way in Binghamton, it will create a ripple effect. A lot of kids my age, particularly college students, are plagued with an unwarranted sense of entitlement and lack of regard for rules and respect for our elders. While this incident is certainly on the extreme end of the spectrum, similar and less dramatic instances occur pretty regularly. If this video teaches us anything, it should be that you cannot talk to people that way. The aggressive verbal attacks, particularly the homophobic slurs, were heard loud and clear and hopefully don't cause too much damage. I'm sure I don't need to explain this one.
My favorite part of the video is when the kid proclaims that he should be entitled to bring the beer into the dining hall and still be served because, "This is America." At the risk of upsetting my friends at UConn, I have to question their admissions process. UConn is a respectable school, but they apparently admitted a kid who proudly confuses democracy with anarchy.
All in all, the kid did get one thing right -- that he is "absolutely f***ed." Good luck finding a job, buddy. He quickly went from being a happy privileged college student to being one of the most hated kids in America. If the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I'm sure UConn will see a lawsuit from Mommy and Daddy, and I hope It happens. It's just a shame that the kid had to, literally, ruin his life to learn to show some respect.
