Hair pulled up in a haphazard
ponytail,
I
tightened
the
drawstrings on my pink pullover
and trekked through the wind up
the stairs to the North Quad dining
hall. Stomped, was more like it. I’d
forgotten my headphones, and in no
world was I walking back through
this tumultuous wind on an empty
stomach. Without my dining hall
playlist, I had to provide myself
with some sort of entertainment
while eating 20 minutes away from
my dorm. After grabbing a plate of
questionably baked ziti, I plopped
myself down at a seat beside two
students, engaged in what appeared
to be serious conversation. They
were no Adele, but it would do.
“No, he’s definitely a chill guy.
Probably in finance, a big gamer,”
mused the guy with brown hair. He
furrowed his brow all business-like,
a stark contrast to his loose plaid
pajama bottoms and disheveled
hair. I imagined him trudging down
the stairs from his room to grab a
quick dinner with his friend before
hunkering down for the night. His
friend, sporting a buzz cut, looked at
him incredulously, as though he had
offered up the most absurd opinion.
“No, no, you’re confused. He’s
one hundred percent Comp Sci. He
totally thinks he’s gonna be the next
Steve Jobs.”
Now it was my turn to furrow my
brow. But alas, I kept my eyes on my
baked ziti.
“Okay
fine,
whatever.
How
about
that
girl
over
there?”
Pajama Bottoms flicked his head
nonchalantly toward his right. “The
one with the fancy blue shirt and
glasses.”
What was going on? Thoroughly
puzzled, I allowed my eyes to
casually roam until they landed
on the person of interest: silk blue
blouse and Ray Bans, check.
“Ah…” Buzz Cut considered the
girl for maybe two seconds before
stating, matter-of-factly, “Her dad
owns a major corporation, like Expo
marker or something. She’s got it all
covered.”
“Yeah, she totally spring breaks
in the Hamptons,” Pajama Bottoms
nodded emphatically.
My eyes widened in realization.
This was some game they were
playing, skipping their gaze across
the room and envisioning personas,
backstories. It seemed like Pajama
Bottoms and Buzz Cut did this every
day, putting their heads together and
playing this loaded guessing game.
Upon an enthusiastic agreement,
they let their eyes scan the room for
another target. I very much hoped
they wouldn’t start talking about the
girl in the hot pink sweatshirt and
the ratty, wind-agitated ponytail. I
was content without knowing their
opinion, so I finished off the ziti and
excused myself.
Only
after
sitting
in
my
bewilderment at the way Pajama
Bottoms and Buzz Cut chose to
spend their leisure time, listening
to
their
outlandish
topic
of
conversation mosey from person to
person, did it hit me: I was doing the
exact same thing. Pajama Bottoms
and Buzz Cut were in-fact a product
of
my
own
appearance-based
observations: two best friends who
eat dinner together in North Quad
and play a little assumptive guessing
game every night. While I’d like to
think I was doing it with a bit more
decorum, I too was making the same
unfounded generalizations about
these two strangers.
I’m sure Buzz Cut and Pajama
Bottoms were more than Buzz
Cut and Pajama Bottoms: two odd
friends who shared the same odd
hobby. But that was all they were to
me, and though this situation was
nuanced, its realizations applied
to more situations than I knew. By
analyzing people at face value —
without remaining open-minded to
more information — we are doomed
to the consequences of a misguided
first impression. Whether we judge
people in the brazen, almost ironic
way that those two friends did,
or in the more subconscious way
that I allowed myself to do, we
unintentionally (or intentionally)
close ourselves off from seeing the
bigger picture: which of our own
insecurities we might be projecting,
or how our social backdrop leads to
the particular form our assumptions
take on.
Sometimes, though, making snap
judgements can be helpful. Perhaps
there is an ominous figure heading
your way at a 2:00 a.m. walk home
from an impromptu Joe’s Pizza
outing; I believe a snap-judgment
and perhaps a quickening of pace
would be appropriate here.
According
to
psychological
development
theorists,
the
subconscious manner in which
people size up others is a key facet
of survival and can definitely
prevent people from getting stuck
in a sticky situation. However,
the unwarranted snap-judgment,
the kind that happens without
the present fear of danger, often
originates from a place of personal
insecurity.
Psychologists have concluded
that we, as people, take into account
factors such as facial expressions,
body language, composure, clothing
and
communication
to
create
parallels based on how we perceive
such things. We then make the
judgment. Pajama Bottoms and
Buzz Cut simply had the guts, and
the free time, to do it more brazenly.
I had no problem judging those two
individuals for how they presented
themselves and what they chose to
spend their time doing at 6:00 p.m.
on a Thursday, but the second it
occurred to me that I could be their
next target for judgment, my tail
shot between my legs.
I too was judging Buzz Cut and
Pajama Bottoms, not just by making
assumptions about them, but by
deciding that they were strange,
and frankly a bit unhinged, for doing
the same thing that I and countless
others do subconsciously. Who was
I to call them odd?
When forming first impressions,
people
tend
to
subconsciously
assess others based on their own
personal guidelines of acceptance
or rejection. Analyses of the human
psyche suggest that since we as
humans are prone to consider our
own judgment and perspective to
be fact, we unintentionally create a
divide between us and other people.
If every person traipses around and
considers their unsupported and
oft-skewed perceptions as innately
true, it makes the prospect of a true
connection nearly impossible.
Our upbringing and experiences
cause us to evaluate peoples’
potential roles in our lives based
on superficial criteria and brief
experiences that, often, don’t lend
themselves to the full picture. Said
criteria can stem from family values,
childhood environment or level
of education received. Regardless
of what motivates people to draw
conclusions about others (usually
with a weak basis), the conclusion
remains
that
our
judgements
ultimately deter us from seeing the
reality beyond ourselves, realities
that, metaphysically, we cannot fully
know.
This phenomenon of viewing
a person’s actions or the way they
conduct
themselves
during
a
moment
in time as a key indicator of who they
are (rather than the circumstances
they are in) is commonly referred
to as the fundamental attribution
error. Based on the way we were
raised to perceive things, we may
attribute traits, positive or negative,
to people who may not necessarily
fit this mold. Since it is impossible
to know the full extent of another
person’s being, it is most convenient
for people to take a brief glimpse
into another’s personhood and
consider it to be “indicative of who
they really are” rather than merely
circumstantial.
This is a pretty damning rut to
be stuck in. Through this cycle of
passive judgment that so many
of us are condemned to, we lose
sight of the multi-faceted nature of
“truth” and are far less empathetic
and open-minded to other people’s
realities.
Luckily,
this
nature
of
rapid-fire
assumptions
and
evaluations is something that can be
rectified.
Just as I feared others judging
me based on a single moment or
experience, it’s important to make
conscious efforts to avoid placing this
judgment onto others as well. A way
to undermine this cyclical pattern is
to replace assumptions about other
people with the assumption that
we do not have enough information
about anyone else to assess them; the
information that we think we have is
not necessarily correct. In order to
change the predispositions that we
so naturally form about others, it’s
vital that we “consider that a lot of
what we perceive and assume is for
the most part, wrong.”
With these ideas in mind,
it seems as though my own
mindset was worse than Pajama
Bottoms and Buzz Cut; at least
they
were
consciously
aware
that
their
assumptions
were
absurd and not factual (I hope).
I, on the other hand, was quick to
judge and form presuppositions
about these veritable strangers.
My
assumptions
held
no
more
weight
than
their
far-
fetched
guesses
and
musings.
In essence, try to avoid being
alarmed if you see a student
donning pajama bottoms engaged
in fervent discourse with a guy
fashioning a buzz-cut; just because
I had an odd experience with these
characters doesn’t mean I’ll have
another. Buzz Cut and Pajama
Bottoms aren’t always Buzz Cut
and Pajama Bottoms; their hair
will grow out, or perhaps they’ll
invest
in
stylistic
refinement.
There is much more to them, and
all of us, than a circumstantial
first impression. Maybe next week
they’ll be into Sudoku.
IRENA TUTUNARI
Statement Columnist
Snap judgements: Survival skill
or perpetual flaw?
Design by Francie Ahrens
S T A T E M E N T
michigandaily.com — The Michigan Daily
Wednesday, February 22, 2023— 6
It’s a cold gloomy morning, the
bright sun barely peeking through
the mass of dark clouds that hang
low in the sky. I want to get up
but can’t. My body has become
immobile as a result of the lack of
sleep that pervades my body. As my
alarm clangs in the background and
makes its way into my dreams, my
hand slams the snooze button for
the fifth time, anticipating those
five more precious minutes of sleep.
As I throw myself off my lofted
dorm bed, there is one immediate
stop I make before brushing my
teeth, before removing the crusties
out of my eyes, before my eyes even
fully open. I go to the refrigerator,
where there awaits for me the most
glorious creation of all time: a cold,
mango passionfruit Celsius. The
clouds have finally parted, and now
the sunshine appears, the birds are
singing and I am energized to the
maximum. Now, this might be a
little bit of an exaggeration, but on
days where my energy levels are at
zero and I can barely function, there
is nothing more that I want — that
I need — than a cold, refreshing
energy drink or iced coffee.
These products are everywhere:
in vending machines, Blue Cafés in
the residence halls and restaurants.
There are entire vending machines
dedicated to the variety of Monster
drinks; lines of Bang and Celsius
and Redbull are advertised as the
cure-alls for the struggling, tired
student. Whether going to the gym
and in need of a quick pre-workout
boost, sipping a drink after studying
for three hours in the library or one
right before sunrise, we use energy
drinks for exactly what they are:
quick energy in a matter of minutes.
It’s artificial energy, but at what cost
are we consuming it?
Energy
drink
companies
primarily advertise to a young
customer
base
—
and
these
demographics reveal how the
growing prioritization of work
over sleep has virtually created a
cultural need for caffeine. About
51% of college students report
energy drink consumption, the
Journal of Caffeine Research
found,
while
86%
of
those
between the ages of 18 and 24
report general caffeine usage.
In an era where energy drinks
such as Celsius are seeing an
increase in sales due to their
claims of “metabolism boosts”
and “increased efficiency,” people
now, more than ever, are using
the drink for so-called “healthy”
reasons in an attempt to increase
their endurance in exercise and
to
accommodate
their
active
lifestyles. The glamorization of
energy drinks by these companies
has led consumers to believe that
such drinks are beneficial to their
health and wellbeing, while more
often than not, these drinks have
just as much sugar and artificial
preservatives in them as regular
soda and sugary juices. There was
an estimated 240% increase in
sales throughout the globe in 2017
as a result of these energy drink
campaigns, targeting a primarily
adolescent audience.
Regardless,
drinking
large
amounts of caffeine has a myriad of
health problems associated with it.
Increased blood pressure, irregular
heartbeat, anxiety and digestive
issues are just some of the risks
that consistently large uptakes of
caffeine may cause. Furthermore,
the practice of mixing energy
drinks with alcohol is alarmingly
prevalent among college students,
consumed together in order to
increase the amount of alcohol that
one may consume in one setting
without “feeling” the effects — yet
studies show that the impairment
and lack of coordination is often
even more pronounced. Caffeine
addiction can be quickly developed,
due to chemical changes within the
brain and an increased tolerance.
Caffeine addiction is manifested
through many ways, but is shown
when one is unable to function
without the presence of caffeinated
beverages. While caffeine causes a
surge of dopamine similar to other
drugs, it is not a large enough one
that unbalances the reward system,
which in turn minimizes how we
see it as “addicting.” In particular,
caffeine withdrawal, or the absence
of caffeine after drinking it for
prolonged periods of time, can be
debilitating and cause headaches,
nausea
and
irritability.
About
75% of those who drink caffeine
are addicted, revealing the large
dependence on the substance for
day to day life.
However,
there
are
some
benefits as well when taken in the
right amount, such as the ability
to process glucose better, lessen
the ability of developing chronic
illness and increased concentration.
Perhaps addiction to energy drinks
reveals a larger problem within
the scope of culture — our want
for
instantaneous
gratification
and the lessening importance of
sleep within our society. In a world
where a “busier” schedule is the
more “accomplished” one, there
has become an incessant need to
prioritize ambition over health.
Now, don’t get me wrong — after
I write this article, I will probably
open a fresh can and dump its
entirety in my mouth without
hesitation. Maybe I will go and run
the best mile of my life, write the
greatest essay of my life or be the
happiest that I’ve ever been. But
after I burn through this rented
energy, I know that I will still feel
fatigued and tired in the morning
because, at the end of it all, four
hours of sleep a night will not
suffice. Artificial energy stimulants
are like bandages; they may cover
up and mask the problem, but they
do not necessarily cure it.
Artificial
energy
drink
companies consistently profit off
a cultural incessant need to be
busy. In turn, companies have
no intention of making their
consumers feel sustainably rested,
as that would get rid of the need for
such drinks. Consequently, there is
a continuous cycle that occurs as a
result of their marketability.
These companies use enticing
marketing strategies to pull in
customers, appealing to social media
and other youth oriented-activities.
Bang, a rising popular energy
drink company, uses influencers
to advertise their product on apps
like TikTok to increase youth
engagement and popularity. In
5-Hour Energy commercials, there
is always the prototype of a busy
person who magically becomes
smiley and energetic once they
have their first sip. It is estimated
that by 2026, the global market for
energy drinks will reach $86 billion.
As
advertising
and
marketing
spend increases, especially for the
younger demographic, this rise of
consumption
will
continuously
lead to long-term adverse health
effects like increased risk of heart
palpitations and even insomnia.
However, in recent years, many
energy drink companies have come
under negative light due to claims
of harm from their products. Red
Bull, one of the most popular energy
drink brands, had to pay $13 million
in refunds for false advertising
allegations. One of the lawsuits
mentioned
that
the
company
“misleads customers into thinking
they’re getting a superior source
of energy beyond caffeine.” Thus,
it is evident that these products
are portrayed in such a way that
presents these products as the end-
all-be-all these products sell a new
way in which you are not only able
to stay up for prolonged periods
of time, but also a new way to be
‘superhuman.’
Particularly in college, where
there is a constant state of stress
and underlying exhaustion that
most students experience, it is
odd to not be tired after a full
day’s worth of classes, clubs,
hours spent at the lab, working
and studying. One cannot help
but feel exhausted and as if their
energy reserves are depleted.
Because of this, the profitability
of
such
drinks
on
college
campuses
is
extremely
high
due to capitalization off of this
exhaustion as profits for these
companies. Energy is one of the
most important things that we
need in our day-to-day lives. We
need to think more about where
that source of energy comes
from and whether it is helping or
harming us.
CHINWE ONWERE
Statement Columnist
The real cost
of energy