Halloween offers us all a time to pretend, if not just for a little bit, that we are someone or something else. The desire to live life as someone different, be it Hugh Hefner or a cat that, true to character is barely wearing any clothes, is seemingly integral to the nature of college students. You’ll find few here at UA who aren’t participating in the Halloween festivities in some form. Halloween, however, isn’t the only time that students are accustomed to pretending to be someone they are not.

We live today in a culture of conformity, a culture in which we consciously, and sometimes unconsciously, mold ourselves and our images to better our own social standings. In doing so we create these sort of public personas no different from a Halloween costume. For many, the persona becomes who they are to the world. These personas become all the more apparent in status driven locales that prioritize a feigned sense of social unity more than the uniqueness of the individual. Our campus is one such place.  

College is, agreeably, a difficult time for everyone. New places, new people and a brand new school all cause a lot of stress; stress that many choose to relieve by conforming to the most basic of norms in their new location. Presented with this fact, many will argue that they have simply found their true identity after the first three months of living on their own. This is, of course, the college version of the “It’s not a phase, Mom” argument. Nobody truly knows who they are when they first arrive on campus, and that’s completely okay. What is truly detestable is not knowing, and then allowing others to make the decision for you. 

In no way is The Crimson White claiming any sort of moral superiority or lack of public persona that we adhere to in order to better maintain our professional relationships. We are just as guilty as everyone else when it comes to presenting ourselves in a manner that isn’t always 100% in line with who we are. Oftentimes, the stringent list of journalistic ethics, along with the current “woke” culture of modern media causes us to lose sight of our core values. In spite of this, we strive to drop our mask. We hope to be able to provide the best coverage, the coverage our readership deserves, of our University.  

This Halloween, we would like to challenge all of you to be someone you’re not accustomed to being: yourself. You’re still more than welcome to dress up as a scantily clad nurse, just so long as you are genuine about who you truly are as a person. Don’t be afraid to be honest with people. We can’t guarantee that they’ll appreciate your individuality, but we can say that you’ll feel better. After all, the scariest thought of all is living your entire life as someone else.