On weeknights, I often find myself spending the last few minutes of my day scrolling through side chat. Our favorite anonymous form of social media has always been a convenient place for a rant, or simply for relatable humor. However, I noticed one significant drawback. Whether it’s for attention or out of sincerity, almost every post is aimed at denigrating the school we attend.
I wondered why this concept of discouragement was so common among our students. Eventually, I decided to create my own side chat post. I asked my classmates, “Why do you all hate pens so much?” We received 27 downvotes and a few replies along the lines of “Isn’t that obvious?” and “Do you want to go here too?” I didn’t get very close to a definitive answer.
When you think about it, everything from casual remarks on campus to late-night conversations between roommates can easily fall into the trap of hyperbolic complaining. Echo chambers can often become breeding grounds for communal distress. Are we really all that miserable? Are Penn residents suffering unnecessarily? As far as I know, that’s not the case. Most of what we complain about is trivial annoyances that will not contribute to Penn’s broader mental health struggles.
Our social culture requires a masquerade of discomfort that simply appears ungrateful. Side chat isn’t the only problem. A culture of grievance is prevalent among students at the University of Pennsylvania. For many on the University of Pennsylvania campus, it is not clear why or how this phenomenon occurred. However, I would like to conclude that perhaps the provocative nature of grievances allows people’s voices to be heard, even if it is at the expense of the university.
This problem may also be due to the simple fact that we are young. Because we are relatively immature, we may protest when something is inconvenient. Final seasons are difficult. Sometimes getting out of bed can be a pain. After all, college students complain everywhere. You can relate to that, right?
Whatever the explanation for why students across this campus never seem to catch a break, Penn’s grievance culture has a significant negative impact. Complaining has a strong negative impact on morale and group satisfaction. Psychological well-being is a complex issue, but complaining has been proven to unconsciously exacerbate anxiety, fear, and distrust of each other.
It starts with a friend making a casual comment about your class. Participate without thinking. But over time, these small interactions create big problems. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Complaining makes us more anxious, so it becomes more common. Complaint culture is now our default mode of discourse.
I believe that attending a school like Penn is a privilege. Although I have certainly enjoyed my student life here, I understand that my experience is not universal. There are many valid criticisms of universities. The food isn’t great, the academics are competitive, and the social world can be very intimidating. There is a real conflict associated with Penn’s experience. But for Penn State students, it’s also a time to reflect on the benefits of pre-professional culture, the elite opportunities available to them, and how unique their educational circumstances are.
Access to Ivy League resources, an incredible human experience, a good neighborhood in Philadelphia, and a well-paying job after graduation are objectively amazing and available to very few students today. It is irrational not to recognize that you are creating a situation where you should. At a time when our schools are being portrayed as producing frightening experiences, it is vital that we resist the urge to give in to undue complaints.
Even when we returned from winter break, our side chats were flooded with desperate pleas from students not wanting to start a new semester. The culture of complaint has never been stronger. As popular and unique as “SABSing” and Penn Face are in our community, it is completely unrecognized by those who blindly accept misfortune as the norm. Pen needs to be cleansed of grievances. I challenge the community to be more positive. Many of us have a lot to be thankful for.
jack rakis He is from Kennesaw, Georgia and is a first-year college student studying political science.his email teeth [email protected].