'Boy I hate K-Mart

"The Can't Stand Back-2-School Story"

School is starting on Thursday, which means that I have 3 days of resentment, work and utter annoyance. This entry I entitle: "Can't Stand Back 2 School."

There are many reasons why someone hates going to school; however, it is not until now that I have completely understand in this resentment. Not because I go to Poly, which in my first two years considered it as an All-Male revue. I think I would have this total resentment if I went to Weseleyan or any school that you would associate with Girls Gone Wild. They make this season of the year like the biggest thing since sliced bread. And there's no escape.

For instance, there are no real holidays that prevent one from hearing Back-2-School. They start this in early July now. Granted I know some schools start early August or late July; however, they publicize this season so far in advance for the majority of the country, whose education begins at the end of August or early September. The worst part is that, along with this, the sales are ludacris. I could point out instances were they were putting clothes and books on sale, while they were at it's regular price. $29.99 jeans, where two weeks prior it was, $29.99! Back-2-School is more of a holiday ploy, which sadly does not involve the Greeting Card companies.

Back-2-School captures how much one regrets going back to classes. For I, and probably 30% of people who attend any college, they are doing something that they like (not including the 25% who will not make that into their careers). However, most students, do not like the idea of being tortured with the liberal arts requirements with one or two specialized classes which are already pre-determined by a scheduling rubric. There's nothing liberating about that type of liberal arts. More as in general studies, or until you fail and require a GED or McDonalds job.

One thing returning students to pre/post education can relate is that something that relates to the monetary costs, is the whole feel of back-2-school. They have to make slogans such as "Skool-is-Kool" and OMG, school is starting, I need my new outfits for the fall, because if I wear what I wore from last year, I won't be popular. Fuck, half the time I cannot even remember what I wore yesterday. I have to throw my clothes on the floor just to prevent myself from wearing the same article of clothing two days in a row. Not to mention, I don't think the fashion police is going to know the difference between your jeans being shade 242 of blue and shade 241 of blue; especially when shade 241 was so last year! My god, don't I feel gay. People forget that the essence of what looks cool is if it looks stylish on you; not on how popular it is. It is the same reason why certain people should never wear revealing clothing unless it attracts a specific demographic or why people who have terrible-looking/smelling feet/toenails should never wear open-toed sandals, unless they can change that problem.

In addition, when someone makes a big deal about back-2-school, they forget that life is a longtime learning process. That in the summer you can go take a specific class, and acquire additional knowledge to your brain. It just adds to the stereotype that not only you don't learn in the summer, you are purposely making yourself more dumber, and educators have to reaffirm that by making the back-2-school ideology start a month earlier per year.

As a college student, back-2-school doesn't mean much to me. I'm always in school (summer school, fall semester, winter-mini's, spring semester, etc.). You just get two weeks off as a break and then you start again. What any college student wishes is to get money for back-2-school, where we can spend it on necessities and then the outfit for the first keg party thrown in the student lawn and enough money left over for movie going, drinking and the bribe to the one professor to "do not fail me, just give me a C!" School is complicated. Then again the way I put it, I sound like some popular narcassitic person who antagonized you to the point where you have to shop to you drop, and parade like Back-2-School is a season-long national holiday.

Boy, I hate K-Mart.