I'm sick and tired of seeing people who walk from class to class with their eyes glued to the sidewalk, forcing themselves to walk through Daniels Hall without looking at a single flyer posted there.
These people expect to be handed a social life, for the rest of us to go out of our collective way to get them involoved.
Wake up, folks - this isn't high school anymore - it's real life now. Forget it, 'cause I'm apathetic about apathy.
I just don't care anymore, and I don't feel sorry for them. I do feel sorry for the dedicated students who keep trying to get more people involved and come to their programs. I feel sorry for the hard-working individuals who plaster the campus with flyers that no one sees.
Last year, sidewalk chalking caught on big time - groups figured that, if their target audience insisted on looking down at sidewalks, putting the advertising on the sidewalks would solve the problem. Apparently, we were wrong, since no one saw a dramatic increase in attendance at these events.
Like I said, though, I've given up on these folks, the people who don't want to be helped - we can beg them to get involved and all they do is ridicule us for trying. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if they didn't laugh at us for actually giving a shit, but it happens and it hurts.
These people are like patients, people with a disease or needing surgery. Students who care are like doctors, doing everything in their power to help these people recover, prescribing medications and getting the best surgeons money can buy. Unfortunately, studies have shown that those who have a poor outlook on life and don't want to get better won't - it takes a bit of willpower and a desire to live to make these patients recover, no matter how hard the doctor tries.
Who are the doctors? People in the Social Committee, who work hard to book entertainment for this, our "mundane college campus." It seems that, no matter how much publicity is put out by these folks, there are people on this campus complaining about their lack of a social life. Get real! Stop whining amongst yourselves, you spineless weenies, and start telling them what you want to see! What, are they supposed to read your minds?!
Who are the doctors? People in Student Government and the Graduate Student Organizaion who hold open meetings and elections, trying their damndest to, God forbid, help their fellow students. Students in these groups are laughed at for their efforts - why? You who laugh at them - what are YOU doing to make the campus better?! Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Who are the doctors? The members of the Newspeak staff, who bust their asses every week, all week to put out a paper for YOU, the student body of WPI. What do we get back? Complaints about how much of the paper is advertising and press releases. You know what? We need those press releases for lack of a writing staff to handle all the information we are supposed to get out to you. All those ads you find annoying - we need the money they bring in to pay for things like newsprint and ink.
See the pattern? Nothing is ever good enough for some people. All they can do is whine, and they are such cowards and so lazy that they won't even get up off their butts and tell us in person what they'd like to see done. Nope. All they can do is critique. Sorry, gang, but I haven't seen too many job openings for whiney critics in the paper lately...
This is so pointless, isn't it? I am writing this to insult and provoke the apathetic fools on this campus, yet they probably aren't even reading it. But saying that and giving up on them makes me just as bad, doesn't it?
A friend of mine said, "You can't expect to have a social life handed to you; you have to go out there and TAKE it." That's true, no one was at the "Free Social Life" booth at the activities fair a couple weeks ago. But those of us who do care can do one of two things: give up, and just write them off as lost causes, or set the good example and just pester the hell out of one person, just one, for months until they finally give in and get involved.
So, here's my challenge - the next time you go to an event on campus, be it a club meeting, a sporting event, or a social event, take someone with you who's never been to that particular type of event. It could be your roommate, a friend, or just someone you meet in class. Don't just invite them, say, "Come with me to this event." Don't even give them the option!
Take that challenge a step further - go to something that other person is involved in, or pick something neither of you have experienced. You never know until you try something, and it will boost the morale of the people involved that someone new showed up, even if it only happens once.
My point is that apathy grows - it starts with people who don't want to get involved and grows, engulfing those who truely do care. Don't let yourself be swallowed by apathy - fight it.
Just remember - a campus center won't solve the problem here, folks - especially if you think it'll never be built.
Give feedback: newspeak@wpi.wpi.edu