Its 2008 and people still battle everyday with the person they see in the mirror and the person who sets foot into the world. In a world where diversity is ever so embraced and self-expression has become the normality, people still find it easier to fit in with the masses. It has become more evident with the so-called “thugs” we have on campuses across this country.
In a literal definition a thug is considered a violent person. Not to say we all don’t have tempers, but violence isn’t the purpose of being in school. Whether it is Morehouse, Clark Atlanta or any other institution, to carry that thug persona while trying to attain a college degree is a contradiction in every sense.
Trying to understand what makes men want to appear so much harder or realer than the next has been challenging and can lead to many different conclusions. The most obvious reasons tend to be respect and women. Whatever flatters women and keeps you in the good graces of other men is usually what appeals. For some brothers they think being a thug is the answer.
In being a thug there are also concepts that come along with it. It is reasonable for one to believe that those of us who come from harsher more threatening environments embrace the thug persona as opposed to rejecting it. When you live in a neighborhood where your life is constantly threatened that stage of development is just as normal as developing reading and math skills.
In institutions of higher learning however, that is not the case. Those of us who are here have come here to better ourselves. Not to say we are all saints but none of us are thugs. Smoking, drinking, cursing, or playing music doesn’t make you a thug. The true thugs lurk outside of the campus.
The true thugs are the ones who weren’t fortunate enough to call college home. Although some of those people may still be our friends the fact that we are here and they are where they are is a true testament to the reality of both of our situations. I say that we leave the street persona to the streets and embrace the persona that we all are really striving for. That is to be successful individuals and being a thug doesn’t in any way help that cause.
This problem seems to be more evident in institutions that have a majority black population as opposed to others. In all honesty it is not hard to see why. Most of us don’t have very positive male role models in our lives. Many of us grew up with idolizing people we couldn’t touch or even talk to such as athletes. Some of us even grew up idolizing people who were not good for us such as drug dealers and even real thugs.
In spite of all those factors we find ourselves here. We find ourselves living a life that can open so many doors for us and others. Yet, some of us show our appreciation by embracing a life that is cold and dark, a life that cares nothing about our well-beings.
We must wake up and realize that we are in college to better not only ourselves but the world. Furthermore, to hold on to anything or any lifestyle that posses opposition to achieving that goal is defeating our purpose in being here. We must wake up and realize that our existence here now is greater than the one we left behind, and if the thug life was really meant for us, we would not be here. We must learn to embrace our being and express ourselves not by the standards of the masses, but rather by those we feel are right not only for we ourselves, but for everyone.