As the semester continues to roll into a never-ending hell, the only thing more toxic than the air vents from Main Stacks has been the campus environment. Everywhere I go on campus, I’m absolutely bombarded with reminders of condescension from my holier-than-thou peers who have “actually experienced hardship” or whatever– seriously, is it that hard to be a non judgemental asshole around here? Of course, they don’t actually say anything remotely negative or treat me with hostility but it still pisses me off.
It just really bugs me when I hear someone talking about their childhood circumstances or whatever. I didn’t have a disadvantaged background to write my entire application on, but you don’t hear me talking about that all the time. I mean sure, I enjoy bringing in my lived experiences into the classroom, as it can be valuable and enriching in an educational setting (like when Professor Reich was talking about gentrification and I was saying how sad it was that my aunt got sued by her tenants for raising rent), but I also know when to give space instead of taking space. It’s like they just need to dominate every conversation and make the rest of us feel bad, for what? No offense, but I’m tired of it. When is the attention going to be on the underserved, silenced portion of the student body? You really have no idea how unwelcoming it feels when I try to bring up the issues that personally affect me and mine, like the capital gains tax or having to stress about the IRS. No one ever really wants to talk about the absolute stress that comes from trying to claim a 2024 G Class G Wagon or trip to Belize as a deductible. Just because these narratives aren’t celebrated doesn’t mean the impact isn’t real; I’ve seen the stress firsthand as my roots grow out a week earlier than usual — the body keeps the score, you know?
To be honest, I think the administration itself at Berkeley has done very little to stem this elitist, unwelcoming environment that’s present. I mean, just the other day I stumbled upon this secret society called EOP (“Educational Opportunity Program”) which supposedly only serves a marginal part of the student body. Pft, “low income”, “first gen” – what kind of exclusionary, divisive labels are these? Okay, whatever, you overcame insurmountable socio-political and economic odds to end up at the top public university. Do you have to be so loud about it though? Like, not trying to minimize your experiences or whatever, but we all worked super hard to get here and I think we’re all grown enough to realize that. And also, isn’t segregating by like, income or race or whatever super problematic…
I’m just so over this school and these stuck up attitudes. Next time when some condescending, patronizing asshole tries to make me feel worse by telling their inspiring story of being raised by a single mom working three jobs, I’m honestly going to lose it!