As I sit here at Skyline, I notice one common trait present in the majority of students on campus: ignorance. Growing up I always viewed college as a place of understanding where individuals were free to express themselves and not worry about being judged or criticized by their so-called “peers”, that’s what high school is for after all. Even now my na’ve attitude astounds me.

It never ceases to amaze me how true the cliché “people fear what they do not understand” is in the real world. I have been witness to the catcalls and glares my friends are forced to deal with on a daily basis here on campus. There is nothing overly remarkable about these young women. They are simply college students that happen to dress and act a bit differently then what Skyline seems accustomed to. They are criticized and ostracized almost daily by various individuals and groups on campus because they choose to be themselves. In a perfect world such actions would be rare, but we all know this is not a perfect world.

If your hair is different, you’re gawked at. If you dare to decorate your skin with tattoos and piercings, you’re labeled a freak of nature. God forbid people exercise individuality and creativity in ways that disrupt the “rules and regulations” of prudish American society. I’m not saying that everyone is close minded, but the majority seems to be. The realization cuts even deeper because we live in California, supposedly one of the most liberal states in the United States. Where is this liberal mindset when a young woman is verbally abused on a daily basis because she dies her hair blue? Where is this liberal mentality when a mother crosses the street with her child to avoid crossing the path of a tattooed couple? Can we as a people truly be so selective with our acceptance? I find myself wondering if we, as “liberal Californians”, are only open minded when it comes to the issues recognized on a nationwide scale.

Thankfully, no one has been beaten to death simply for having stretched earlobes (to my knowledge); therefore, why should we defend a person’s right to do such things to their anatomy. Are the prerequisites for protected individuality really so high? After the numerous school shootings of the past decade you would think that society would have learned that segregating and judging anyone, man or woman, for something as trivial as their appearance should not be acceptable any longer. Sadly, this is not the case. When will we, as a people, realize that simply because someone dresses differently that does not give us the right to look down on them in any way whatsoever? I truly hope that as we approach new levels of understanding for our fellow man, we don’t forget the little changes that need to be made as well.