Joshua Wartena, Opinions Editor, uvureviewopinionseditor@gmail.com
I really enjoy people-watching. I’ll go hang out at Wal-Mart, just walking around and gawking. As Ron Swanson said, “I come here for the same reason other people go to the zoo … Look at that thing!”
Because of my propensity to extrapolate information without context or personal details, I form strong opinions rather quickly. This in mind, I am baffled and sometimes irritated by current trends on campus.
- Wide-rimmed baseball caps with the sticker still on
Baseball caps are one of those unobtrusive clothing choices, like flip flops or jeans, but why are so many guys turning to ridiculously large-brimmed, oversized caps? My favorite way to spot a douchebag is to see if the informational sticker is still on his brim. The first time I saw a hat with a sticker, I figured it was an accident, like forgetting to take the clear size strip off your new jeans. I was wrong.
Objectively speaking, leaving the bright gold “made from water-wicking material” sticker on your oversize hat brim makes you look like a guy who went and sold alarm systems all summer, and you really shouldn’t want to look like that.
- Dr. Dre Beats headphones
I see so many people walking around the halls with the signature white or black earpieces and for the life of me can’t figure out why. They are supposed to give great sounds, but while working at Staples, I never sold a pair of Beats to anyone older than thirty. These things cost anywhere from $250 – $400. Plug that into your MacBook Pro and you’re spending half a semester’s tuition to watch cat videos on YouTube. If the headphones cost more than the iPod, you might be getting ripped off.
- Pinterest/Reddit
If you begin a sentence by saying, “I found this on Pinterest/Reddit?” I will turn around and walk away. Obviously, girls are more attracted to Pinterest, and guys seem to enjoy their Reddit, which is fine; enjoy your internet. The problem is a good chuck of conversations I hear, because I eavesdrop, are concerning what someone posted, pinned, or linked on these sites. Come on, have an original thought or topic!
- A streak of color in the hair
No, we aren’t talking about highlights or dying hair; this is a stripe of non-hair-color hair running right through the middle of the tresses. Honestly, I think it’s kind of attractive, but who came up with that? “Yes please, I’d like a bright purple streak right down the middle on my blond hair.” Maybe it’s to distinguish from the university over the hill and the generally conservative religious and political climate, which brings us to number five.
- Bashing BYU
UVU student absolutely love to rag on BYU. This one I completely understand and participate in. When I started here, the school was still UVSC, and I was constantly asked by family, “Oh, did you not get in to BYU?” That question seems less frequent since this we are now a university, but to many people, UVU is clearly a second-rate school, for those who just can’t handle BYU. They ignore our amazing nursing, aviation, entrepreneur, communications, and business programs, and the regionally-winning basketball, baseball, wrestling, and track teams don’t matter. So of course UVU students enjoy talking smack about the honor code and elitist BYU-ites.
Do you have any pet peeves or trends you’ve noticed on campus? Send a letter to the editor and we’ll publish it in the next issue of the UVU Review: uvureviewopinionseditor@gmail.com
