Sunday, October 30, 2011

Journal #6 - Party School

When you think of college what is the first thing that comes to your mind?  Of course theres meeting new people, broadening your horizons, and expanding your academic knowledge, but theres also partying.  Unfortunately I had to listen about it from two of the most annoying people I have ever heard. I think the podcast is hilarious and 100% true, but I do not like how condescending the narrator's are.  What do they expect.  Its college.  Kids get drunk and do stupid things.  I've gotten drunk and done stupid things.  I have a theory that freshman in college can be so bad with alcohol and controlling themselves because it is the first time that they are ever been on their own away from their parents.  Some of them have never even had alcohol before and when they get to college they do not know their limits and get really drunk and get into trouble.  My parents exposed me to alcohol when I was in high school so by the time I got to college I was smart enough to handle myself.  Anyone who has ever been to a college party knows, it is no place to learn how to drink safely and properly. The funny thing about this pod cast is that I can envision everything in it happening, or have seen it first hand.  Its sad that partying overshadows how hard students at Penn State work academically, but its the negative partying and vandalism that draws negative attention.  If everyone was smart about their partying and their walk home then nobody would pay any attention to it.  But then again drinking makes people do crazy things.

I've seen fights.  I've seen people get they're teeth knocked out.  I've been in fights.  I've seen people peeing in public.  I've seen people ripping signs out of the ground.  I've seen people destroying things for fun.  I drink Natty Light and they're right its disgusting.  I'm only half way through my first semester of college and I've already seen all of these things.  I can't imagine what else I could possibly see in my next three and a half years of college.  Honestly I dont think anything I could see would surprise me.  The podcast does a good job of describing situations that students can relate to and makes them think wow have I done something like that.  One thing that they do not put enough emphasize on is that Penn State is not the only school that acts like this.  I have friends that go to schools all of the country Ohio State, Notre Dame, University of Delaware, Rutgers, and even small schools that no one knows about like Goldie Beacom.  It doesn't matter what college you go to, there is going to be partying, its college.

The podcast adequately covers every argument from every angle of the issue, ranging from the students, to the residents, faculty and police.  Ethos was very strong for the resident that live in State College because they feel very passionately about the drunken college kids ruining their property.  There is not much a drunk college student can say, however, in the ethos department to justify getting drunk and breaking things.  Pathos on the other hand hits home for some students like the frat brother who's friend died as a result of drinking too much. Their are many mixed feelings toward partying and underage drinking.  I have developed the feeling that if you do it safely and smart there is nothing to worry about.  There are many statistics and facts because it is very easy to make statistics out of a touchy subject like college partying.  People feel safe by statistics.  They want as many statistics as possible.  It is also very easy to make definitions in college like "fracket" and "drunk bus".  Pretty much whatever the first thing that comes in to your head when thinking about a topic can become a definition.  Once one person starts saying something then everyone starts to say it.

Penn State is a great school that provides many job opportunities for its graduates.  With that being said ti is also a big party school there is no deny that.  I do not think that the school should be judged based on kids going out and drinking on thursday, friday, and saturday after a long week of studying.  Especially because it happens everyone.  Of course underage drinking is bad but so is texting while driving or anything like that.  It doesn't make you any less of a person it just makes you a person with flaws like everyone else.  The residents of state college have every right to be upset by drunk college kids being a nuisance, but at the same time what do you expect.  If you want quiet dont live with 40,000 18-22 year olds.  They also fail to illustrate the many residents that love the kids.

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