by Oceana on Mon Jan 01, 1990 12:00 pm
My my Farwall, aren't we angry at the world.
It should be pointed out that at no point was taste in music ever an issue - it is not someone’s taste in music that makes them a Goth or a Yah or, god forbid, "middle class, prejudiced arse holes from the home counties."
It's not even their clothes though I'll admit that society as a whole usually takes what a person wears - even looks like (in the wonderful world of comics for instance) - on the outside as an indication of what is inside. As far as appearance goes this is fallacy but as to choice in clothes...well that's a difficult question. I wear clothes I feel comfortable in and my appearance (yes, my smell too (I love my footwear despite it)) comes second to that and I would not claim to be alone in this. However how many young ladies do you see standing outside the Union on a Friday night wearing shoes that will permanently damage their backs, give them varicose veins, increase the likelihood of them spraining/breaking an ankle...all for the sake of making their calves look better defined. As to their apparel or lack thereof, is it really worth showing off the naval piercing when you’re shivering to the point of hypothermia? I would say no but they would disagree and more power to them - I'm all for freedom of expression no matter how damaging it is to someone’s person or character.
The point that was trying to be made was that there is a higher degree of diversity than perhaps people appreciate (and that this is good) and that it is focused in different areas of the University. It is not such a ridiculous idea either - if you like big city life you go to London, Manchester, Edinburgh, New York, Cupar (oh ho! The Wit.) You don't come to Sunny Sanny Anny. The clubber scene is very much intertwined with the big city life and ethos - plus it's hard to get a suitable alcohol license outside of a true city (as opposed to The City of St Andrews or Briechan.)
It is also true that different types of subject are taught at varying levels and by varying numbers and qualities (if such a thing can be uttered) of University. So people of different educational tastes, social tastes, locality and background go to different places.
St Andrews, for instance, attracts more than it's fair share of Marine Biologists because it has an excellent reputation for it, very good facilities and it's really handy for getting live specimens (i.e. from the Sea which, as I'm sure all of you have noted, is not too far from Gatty).
People who want to do Marine Biology tend to have an interest in the environment, the sea and watersports (of the non S&M type). This means that we tend to be fairly mellow to the point of being remiss in our responsibilities (like studying).
This is not always true - nothing in the corporeal world is *always true* but it tends to be so.
I am a little confused by whether The Farwall is saying that his (? - sorry, I don't know, please adjust any gender discrepancies to suit) clothes are to say, "I'm different! I just am. So what!?" or whether it's just what he likes to wear and So What!?
So what indeed. It should not be a cause for contention - infact at last reckoning it wasn't.
Now I don't wear beige slacks (they're stone - I assure you) nor do I wear brown loafers (Medea wouldn't hear of it) preferring instead to be a bit of a smelly lad. My foot odour (Oh how I love degrading myself publicly) is offensive to other people - I know this - yet I still wear the same pair of Merrel trainer-type-things because that's what I am comfortable in.
Now if people are offended by what a Goth wears then that *is* *their* problem. If a person is offended by what a Goth listens to (be it Marilyn Manson or a proper Goth artist) then again that is their problem. That doesn't mean that it's wrong to not like that music or those clothes (as stated too often for me to bare thinking about - there is a big difference between a (statement of a) persons opinions & beliefs and a (statement of) general fact).
What bothers me (and bare in mind that this is a subjective statement of opinion) about Goths is that they tend to be so overwhelmingly hostile to other people for not conforming to their brand of individuality (on a related note there is a paper on the wall outside Dr. Peter Cundills (sic?) office in the Irvine Building talking about how the perceived liberal attitude in Holland (? again I'm not sure) has created a superior attitude so that now they are intolerant of outsiders for their intolerance...perverse (the logic) isn't it.)
I'm also more than a little frightened by the suicidal looks and looks of hatred that they tend to don to walk down the street with - these disappear when talking to someone and their expression is 'normal' once again (What is normal? It's an abstract concept. It does not exist yet it is what we base our perceptions of people (and places and things) on. In this case I mean that they look happy or even just that they don't appear to be planing to kill anyone.)
I think what needs to be pointed out considering The Farwall's (and this is not intended as an attack or an inflammatory remark - I just want to clear it up) statement of individuality is that we are all individuals (even clones - like identical twins). If you want to express your individuality then fine. If you feel you have nothing to prove and don't wish to express it - merely be comfortable then strap on those loafers and enjoy yourself. If you want to let everyone else know how much better than him or her you are then by all means tell them how rich you are and how large your fathers yacht is.
If you want to share the feeling of love and security you have with god in your life then go do it.
No matter what you share with the world though there will always be those who will misrepresent you. You can always expect your beliefs and views to be hijacked and distorted from well meaning but ill informed (or even just mentally ill) individuals. Sectarian violence in NI is not representative of the Christian faith, Osama bin Laden is not representative of the Islamic faith - indeed when it comes to religion the only representative of faith is you - there is no mandate that you sign up to - there is a relationship with God/Nature/Des Lynham/Gary Lineker...
We should treat each other as individuals and agree to differ on matters of personal taste.
Anyway...there are more Yahs in the arts faculty than the science faculty. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Medicine is just simplified Biology (but happens to be full of people with a penchant for alco-mo-hol). Divinity, Economics and the like I cannot comment on and beseech you, pray, inform us if you know.
(Medea, Medea, Medea...whatever are we going to do with you. My name is not gay, I assure you. Infact I, being a sad bastard, named it after the game of Kings. (I'll leave you that to ponder on for when you're REALLY bored). Incidentally, I think you'll find that the trained monkey in a suit you are referring to went to business school after dropping out of a 20th Century History Class...window.)