You don’t have to attend Williams College long before you begin to notice the lack of places to go on dates.
Spring Street restaurants, possibly the museums, Images Cinema, and the few but brave dining hall dates? Not the most abundant list of options to say the least. I find this to be particularly frustrating being someone who is more of a fan of the traditional way of getting to know other people. Like actually sitting down and talking 1 on 1. Not yelling at someone over the music at a dimly lit house party with booze being spilled on you with the slightest bump against the person next to you. But hey to each their own I guess, right?
However, I have noticed that this way of hooking up is really the norm at our school and I wish it wasn’t.
I cannot even count with my fingers the amount of people I know who text their significant other Saturday night at midnight, hook up, and then go through the whole week with never ever actually sitting down to talk, hang out, or grab a meal. Yet they’re considered a ‘thing’ and they’re talking? I find it hard to believe I am the only one on this campus who thinks that is just so weird and not normal. This hook up culture does not build healthy relationships and when your only interactions are most likely under the influence and hooking up, there is a good chance the communication gets lost or misinterpreted.
As a result of this new party, hook up, one night stand culture, I feel like the traditional way of asking people on dates is getting lost.
In my opinion, it has become one of the more accepted ways of getting to know people because we all know it is easier to approach someone drunk at a dimly lit party. When using this approach, you always have something to fall back on if it doesn’t go as planned, the classic “I’m so sorry I was really drunk text!” never fails to excuse or clear up any awkwardness that took place. What frustrates myself the most is that because this practice is so common on our campus, people who approach people the traditional way are often (not all the time) viewed as being awkward or strange. My questions I want to pose to everyone reading this article are: why do you think the dating culture has turned to the one night stand, only see each other one day of the week, meet each other drunk at a party type culture? Do many people actually get asked out on dates (by people you don’t know) without seeming weird on this campus? Like never met before and was approached and asked on a date. Is doing that in person or social media more weird? Is the lack of things to do or places to go on this campus the reason for the way our social scene is or do you hear that this type of culture is happening everywhere? And lastly do you even have a problem with the way it is or are you perfectly fine where it is heading? I’d love to hear some responses and conversations about this topic to see where everyone’s thoughts and opinions are. Thanks!