Lately, I've been wondering what makes a person of value through the eyes of social norms. In this society, if you stray too far away for the status quo it can potentially ostracize you. Right now, I'm looking for a job, and taking a break from college. This puts me in a rather undesirable position when people ask me what I'm currently doing with my life. For instance, I met a new friend a couple weeks ago, and the conversation went a little like this:
"What do you do for a living?"
"...Well, I'm planning to get a job at an Organic cafe in the U-District."
Which is really just a clever diguise for I applied at a respectable restaurant, and have no idea if they will hire me. What if I would have been blunt and said, "Right now I'm unemployed, and am a college drop out. But I have enough money to get by regardless. Pretty fucking interesting, eh?"
Obviously a risque, and possibly alienating response. Sometimes, you have to obscure the truth in order for people to not judge you too harshly. Now if I were a more successful person in an entirely different plane of reality, I could have instead retorted, "I just finished my bachelor's degree, and am working as a research associate at Intel."
I'm sure that would have been met with a much warmer response. I would have probably been congratulated and admired for my unswerving dedication to do what socially accepted individuals achieve around my age. No such luck though in this dimension. Instead my admission of being unemployed, and becoming disenchanted by Seattle Central is one that would be received by pity, or even mockery. One would wonder, what is wrong with that woman? Or why is that society frowns upon people who are struggling instead of being a bit more compassionate? The sad truth is that we live in a hierarchical society, and it's a dog eat dog world out there.
Once you have a degree, all of the sudden you are granted all of this respect. Regardless of your actual character, or who you are in general. People admire you, it's easier to find a date, a job, fit in, and feel less displaced by our system. You might be in debt until your 60, but hey at least you'll be respected! Repeatedly, I've heard people act condescending towards people without degrees, or who aren't working towards one. As much as I hate to admit it, I've suffered alot of embarrassment simply because I am not of this higher rank. Some people I knew even went out of their way to make me feel guilty about it. I.E "why can you be like Joe Schmoe, and get a transfer degree. He is so hardworking, why are you so lazy?" It seems like some special individuals out there just don't understand that certain people aren't college bound or at the right point in their lives to go back to school.
Then there are the graduates who think they are better than everyone else because they have been enlightened by some random university. Their omnipresent must be enforced by their sheer arrogance, and general disrespect of people who haven't achieved a similar goal. Like a huge walking douchebag designed to cleanse you of your degenerate ways. No one likes a know it all... Especially, a self righteous one who lacks humility.
Honestly, I;m tired of playing this charade. If I need a college degree just for people to treat me like a human being, then I'd rather be stationed to reside the rest of my years on a mysterious Planet-X. The ironic thing is that I do plan to go back to college. The time just isn't right quite yet. But if you are so nearsighted that you think I'm useless just because I don't fit neatly into a nice little conventional package like you, then you really need to re-assess your ethics. Just sayin'
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