If you find yourself surrounded solely by people who think the same as you, you might be “basic.”
What do you think when you describe someone as “basic?” Is it their hair? Color of their skin? The way they dress or talk? Who they hang out with? All these factors build a stereotype that can pertain to many, but some of those people may not even know they’re playing into the stereotypes. Being basic isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I think it defines a generation that is leading us to a not-so-bright future. Being basic isn’t just a matter of how you look. It’s what you care about. To me, basic means being egocentric, not empathizing for people with lives different than your own and having no personality to justify yourself as a progressive member of society. Your values probably reflect the same as your mass of friends who are likely carbon copies of yourself, and parents who probably raised you to be social, spoiled and predominantly normal. Your views on politics would either be “I don’t care,” “Who’s running for president again?” or whatever seems to benefit the white upper/middle class. Don’t get me wrong, there isn’t just one kind of basic. You could be a hipster and be basic too! You probably throw around the word Banksy and Green Party in the same sentence and believe your opinion is more important because of that. You think you’re different, but most likely surround yourself with people just like you, who also think they’re different … which inevitably makes you all the same. Now I know I sound like a condescending beyotch, but am I that wrong?
On Ohio University’s campus, I will say there are a lot of basic people. And let’s act like I’m not talking about the stereotype I just described. I see people who just don’t care. And that’s what I think the root of being “basic” is. You don’t care because socially, it’s not important. You care about what your friends care about. And when you all care about the same thing, there’s NO DIVERSITY. There’s no room for growth, and you’re happy that way. I’m glad people find happiness so easily, but for me that’s just BS. If you’re a world citizen, you should be a little angry! You should be sad. You should feel concern. Not all the time of course, but there should be a part of your mind that lingers to a world not your own. If you’re a citizen of the world, I think there’s a responsibility we all share. A responsibility that involves caring for others! Who woulda thought. How can the world become a better place when a majority of the generation determining our future doesn’t care? Sure, maybe it’s unfair to say “majority,” but by the looks of OU, I dare say majority rules.
So the question is, what happens to our future? Being basic really isn’t all that bad, but aren’t you just sick of hearing the same stuff regurgitated through conversation? I am. I am sick of people always wanting the approval of others. I am sick of the social pressure involved in personal opinions. I am sick of hearing the same opinions. For a better world, we need to connect to people different than us with different perspectives. People need to step out of their ethno-centric bubbles and just CARE about something. We need to have broader thoughts and imaginations. We need to understand things that are different than what we know. Now I know I’m talking about basically changing the world, but where is a better place to start at than OU?
Neelam Khan is a sophomore studying screenwriting and producing.What do you think of “basic” people at OU? Email her at nk852613@ohio.edu.
