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