Hello, welcome to my new column! Here, I will be talking about culture, Middlebury culture, of which there is undoubtedly much to appreciate. As the editorial this week discusses, our community’s ethos is special and beautiful. It is one of diversity, intellectual rigor and curiosity, and physical health to name a few. However, we are far from perfect. Despite the pristine facade of our limestone buildings, we have infrastructural flaws in our culture that need to be talked about more often and casually (not only in formal debates and when our name is in the headline of every media outlet).
All those wonderful aforementioned things that I listed are either conditional or vague enough that they belie the reality of our culture. There are toxic aspects to our space. We are diverse in our academic offerings and our individual interests but ultimately this community is too white, too rich, and too heteronormative. We are academics in ways that make us top candidates for the Fulbright but it is hard for us to connect with the real world and we discourage conversations about emotions--esotericism and pretension do nothing to push our community forward. Many of us are also super healthy but our varsity letters or daily workouts tend to create a culture of athlete privilege and body shaming.
This is pretty harsh criticism, but it is necessary. I want us all to look at our culture critically and think about each of our individual roles because I believe in our capacity to continuously improve and grow. My experience here has been transformative and I care about this community. We need a dialogue that intentionally includes our shortcomings. We are often a little too proud of ourselves, perhaps even delusional due to pride (and privilege) and way more complacent than I would prefer.
This column will serve, on a bi-weekly basis (I do have a life outside of the Middlebury culture y’all), to provide critical thoughts on our cultural fabric and suggestions for our future. Just like this column’s namesake, Migos, I want to do this for the culture. I don’t want us biting from mainstream Nescac culture — let’s set it for others to follow. All my opinions that I will put forth are developing ideas that I am sharing publicly so that they can be discussed. My goal is not to indict; rather, it is to constructively, respectfully criticize and propose a path for growth.
This work will take everyone of all identities and experiences, but some groups of people historically do way too much labor in generating meaningful change and we must acknowledge that. Our culture must come under a critical eye and so must each of us on an interpersonal level. You cannot believe in your own growth and then shut down when you are called out. Own your own improvement. I believe it is the duty of each of us for the betterment of our community.
First up will be a series of articles talking about “bro culture.” Next week, will be the first piece: a thorough analysis of the word “savage,” which has gained exorbitant popularity and been embedded in the culture on this campus. Thanks for reading and stay tuned.
