Two of the most prominent statements made in my debut Communiqué article, published in 2023 and titled “First term reflections from a boring girl at Chatham University,” argue that going out is not needed to have a fulfilling college experience and it is OK to accept yourself as something less than remarkable.
While being a well-received piece at the time of its release, I, almost exactly two years later, reject those ideas entirely.
Now, on the same page of the same newspaper that I argued my initial points of boring nightlife and complacent mediocrity, I am here to denounce these statements and encourage the exact opposite: you have to fight for your right to party, and, in turn, stop settling for being ordinary.
After embracing a lifestyle characterized by weekends indoors and time spent flipping through my favorite novellas, the sounds of heavy-footed, slaphappy groups of 20-somethings heard from my apartment windows have made me feel unsatisfied with my current state, much like how listening to my father’s unbelievable collegiate stories made me feel two years ago. By accepting my introversion as something to live by, rather than something to live with, I had removed myself completely from any opportunity for betterment, both individually and socially.
My gravitation toward seclusion was not always normal, but social interaction often comes last when placed in an economic structure that offers little-to-no room for academic commitment or free time. However, despite being crunched between school-related stressors and an empty fridge, I still found myself resonating with ideas similar to music content creator SADDESTNIGHTOUT’s.
Through social media, specifically TikTok, he argues that despite the Beastie Boys’ phrase, sung almost 40 years ago, being an obvious parody of fraternity and college party culture (at least initially), the lyrics “you gotta fight for your right to party” have seemed to hold up across time. SADDESTNIGHTOUT says that parties, much like the ones I hear giddy young adults traveling to and from, are places where people are brought together and required to interact, and therefore, where cultures and people evolve.
While frequent rest days are essential to living a healthy and balanced life, my over-the-top physical separation from social hubs of other young adults has created an echo-chamber of beliefs perpetuated by my internal dialogue, as well as perceptions ruled by calculated algorithms. The ability to step outside of the padded cells of emotional distance and connect to others through the act of partying has become a political act. A willingness to be participate in real, tangible culture is essential in fostering change and community.
Philosophers have engaged in discourse with others since the beginning of thought itself, and collaboration was viewed as something even greater with the creation of events like French salons, which, according to World History Encyclopedia, were gatherings typically held by wealthy, prominent women that encouraged discussion around philosophy, art, science and politics. Featuring live performances and refreshments, these salons, in addition to other sociopolitical factors, played a role in cultural evolution in Europe and North America, as well as the shift toward the European Enlightenment.
However, the grandeur needed to be a part of a 17th-century French salon are not required to partake in modern-day partying. In fact, I’ve found that the greatest social gatherings I’ve experienced have been make-shift crowds free from the stress of showing out — places untouched by consumerist social implications of what drink you choose or what top you wear and unaffected by inaccessibility caused by capitalism.
Gatherings held at friends’ homes, visiting local music venues and showing up to communitybased events are all ways to fight for your right to party, and as a result, a way to better yourself by supporting the evolution of culture and participating in an inherently political act.
My best ideas have not been formed in the four walls of my bedroom, and, similarly, very few of society’s biggest revolutions have been made by people who are in mental and physical isolation from one another. A refusal to remain complacent means a refusal to be ordinary, and the ability to party is what will allow that achievement.
