Collge Spirit

Alright, as some of you may or may not know, I recently went about attending a major university within the United States. This is after having come from a small community college that settled along the banks of the Tennessee river, so the change was somewhat dramatic in terms of exactly what it was that was going on. First off let me say that I am in know way attacking Purdue University, (har har, saving my own ass here) I am just commenting on the nature of school spirit when applied to large groups. I can easily say that much anything I am about to say can be applied to nearly any large University which features a sports team and has a committee to make the kids attending feel proud about the school.

But I have to admit, ever time I put my arm into the air, clap and say "Boiler Up" it feels just a bit like Hitler youth. Alright so maybe that is a very far off comparison, but the mob mentality, combined with the ideology that there is this much pride generated over a school or a sports team, enough to get 5000+ people to do it in Unison is admittedly creepy. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there is a good reason for it in terms of the students mental health. For a lot of students they have left their homes for the next 4 years to live with people whom they have no clue about, so for them this something useful and fun to keep their minds off of their homesickness, in part to give them a new home to be proud of.

That doesn't not however change the fact that these chants and songs are just a bit fucking creepy for someone who has little experience in anything resembling school spirit. My High School was proud of itself, and it knew it was well off academically, but in terms of school spirit it was just kind of an inner pride that we all kept to ourselves, knowing damn well that we were the top preforming High School in the region, nearly hands down. So there was really no need, as this was a secret that everyone was in on, That and our sports teams were never in the American Football kind of thing, so we got stuck with those funny off sports.

And Community college was no different, no one was there because they were proud to be there, they were there because they had a goal to accomplish, and the community college was the means to that goal. I don't know maybe I feel the same way at Purdue, and that is why I am not quite as in the mood as others, I don't really feel proud to be up here, I had a feeling that I could easily get in with the right use of Charisma and applied intelligence, that I am using Purdue as a means to accomplish the goal of networking with major industries and large sections of the Government sector where I intend to eventually work,

But Yeah, just some thoughts, any of you out there find your school spirit to be just a bit creepy?