A few weekends ago I did something I had never done before--I went to Church. While I was in Church for a very specific occasion, the irony of this unprecedented event started pouring forth the moment I heard the topic of the sermon. This particular Sunday, a week before my departure for spring break in Florida, the preacher just happened to be delivering a sermon that was criticizing hedonism. It simply seemed too predestined, running over with suggestive symbolism and fated irony that goes beyond what could be attributed to mere coincidence, so that consequently I spent much of my break thinking about hedonism.
It seems like the topic of hedonism is highly appropriate to a college campus, even one as conservative as Duke's. There are few desires that a person here couldn't satisfy on any given weekend, provided they know where to look. Just ask anyone who is active on the hook-up scene and they will tell you just how easy and accessible it can be. However, just because it can be easy does not mean that it is, and it especially doesn't mean that it is common.
As a matter of fact, hooking up is something that is not nearly as wide-spread at Duke as people, and The Chronicle columns, make it seem. Furthermore, I think that it is very safe to say that at Duke a significantly greater number of people condemn hedonistic practices, such as hooking up, than embrace them. With this in mind, it seems worthwhile to wonder why.
The most obvious answer is the one that I started with--religion. Religion severely condemns any hedonistic indulgence with premarital sex being on the top of the list. Therefore, it goes to reason that if hooking up blatantly defies religious morals and ethics than it should be very clear why a majority of Duke students condemn it and subsequently don't take part in it.
Well, not quite. To conclude with that as our answer to the earlier question of why would give our campus far more credit and make it seem much more genuine than it really is. I think that the more correct reason is conformity. By no means am I saying that this is the sole reason but rather that it's a more common one. A majority of Duke students obey conventional moral principles not out of genuine belief in them but rather out of a need to conform.
Before anybody starts getting offended, keep in mind the use of the word 'majority.' I am not saying all or even most but simply majority, meaning that generally more Duke students fall into the second category rather than the first one.
Many Duke students structure their behavior, to a greater or lesser extent, with the goal of conformity and acceptance rather than being true to themselves and what they actually want. What others will think has a huge effect on people's actions and this is especially true at a success-oriented place like Duke. While this is present in many different areas--from the majors we choose, to the clubs we join--it is most obvious in the way we interact and the campus social scene. This is where it become abundantly clear who is being real and true to themselves and who is paralyzed by the need for acceptance.
The hook-up scene at Duke usually gets nothing but criticism from the general student population, but much of it is undeserved and even downright wrong. Granted, random hook ups that are a result of both people being too inebriated to walk, much less think, are something that is indeed condemnable. But these types of occurrences are generally mistakes that only happen once to most people.
What I'm talking about is hooking up that is a result of a conscience, alcohol-free decision made by the people involved, which is usually discernable by the fact that it's not random and happens more than once. Not only is there nothing here that should be criticized, but there is something that should be applauded. Hedonistic individuals who participate in this type of behavior are at least secure enough to indulge their personal desires without worrying about what other will think. Rather than pursuing superficial acceptance, they are pursuing their own personal pleasure. Rather than suppressing their desires in order to conform, they aren't afraid to indulge them even if it means standing out.
On the other hand, people who choose to reject such a hedonistic lifestyle because of sincere religious or moral principles are doing something that is entirely admirable and respectable. However, as I said earlier, this is not the case with the majority of students here. They are not rejecting this lifestyle because of genuine beliefs but rather out of fear of being judged. They suppress their wants and desires because they're afraid of being labeled; because they're worried about what other people might think. For Duke students who are supposed to be smart and accomplished this is rather pathetic, to put it mildly.
Therefore, while most people here may complain about the hook-up scene, in most cases it at least can say something admirable about the people who take part in it. On this incredibly monotonous campus of Burberry scarves, pointy Manolo's and pink Polo's, there is indeed something to be said of individuals who are secure enough to go after what they want, sexual or otherwise, without worrying about what others will think.
Emin Hadziosmanovic is a Trinity sophomore. His column appears every other Wednesday.
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