By Nelson Frota Colares
Breaking news: you’re special! Also breaking news: everyone else is. So, if everyone’s special, is anybody special? Yes and no. Alright, this is getting way too philosophical way too quickly, hold on.
There was a time when we all wanted to be the same. And I’m not just talking about the olden times, such as the Victorian era, when everyone was literally dying to get that fresh-tuberculosis look. In middle school, for example, daring not to read the dystopian YA novel of the week was social suicide. Furthermore, kids didn’t get to walk around wearing the same stupid hat all the time. One snarky comment about how weird it looked, and off it came — after all, who wants to look weird?
(Jughead, apparently.)
However, we now have reached a moment in society when being weird is cool. Everyone is the same in one thing: we all want to be different. In the age of TikTok’s self-deprecating jokes, there’s only one law: be quirky… OR DIE!
Scroll for a few minutes on the trendy side of TikTok, and you’ll quickly find an array of “relatable” influencers in oversized hoodies bravely confessing their quirkiness. For example, their love for the super-ultra-secret-underground-indie-rock band Arctic Monkeys. Check the comment section, and you’ll find: “me omg,” “i feel called out,” “if you get it you get it” — the kind of modest self-loathing that makes you want to pour yourself a glass of bleach.
But dare to reveal your mainstream pop inclinations and watch the room go silent. As it turns out, it’s okay to be different — but only in a cool way. What happens when you’re not?
That’s the reality of our own Theresia Yovinka Tio, a first-year student at UFV’s Bachelor of Fine Arts Program. A talented writer (handwriting included), she is passionate about teen shows, boy bands, and all things pop culture, including all the drama, gossip, and breaking news. Sounds pretty mainstream at first glance.
However, in a world where pop is cringy and alternative is truth, she’s found herself looked down upon for her passion. “Every time I say something [about pop culture], I feel like [people] say ‘oh, really?’ but they’re not really interested,” she revealed (soon before breaking me the news on Rebel Wilson’s recent motherhood).
And that’s not all. As an Indonesian with a Chinese background, Theresia is different in plenty other ways that society doesn’t quite find as amusing as listening to true crime podcasts before bed.
For one, though Canada’s multicultural environment has been rather kind to her Asian background, she still cannot shake the feeling of being different in the wrong way — or at least, in the wrong language.
“I go to [class,] and they start talking. I understand what they’re saying, but I just cannot reply, because I feel like my English is not their level of English, and that’s hard sometimes,” she described. With a heavy heart, she also added that most notes she gets on her writing relate more to her English than to her ideas.
As we reach the 16th anniversary of the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance by the United Nations, it’s astounding how we still struggle with understanding our differences, even on such a minor scale. Despite the advent of social media, where people can come together to celebrate diversity, it has never been harder to feel that you belong.
Whether it’s cultural background or musical taste, our differences have never been more important for the wrong reasons: a mixed extreme of loathing and indulgence, towards each other and ourselves. Somehow, in a world so deeply interconnected, we have managed to isolate ourselves more than ever before.
All because we’re different.
Instead, we should realize the countless ways in which we are the same. Your passion for Arctic Monkeys reminds me of my passion for Ariana Grande. Your love for storytelling echoes my love for reading, regardless of your English level. And the entire world can agree that Jughead’s hat is not stupid — he just has some serious self-esteem issues (and terrible friends).
Because at the end of the day, nobody wants to be different. Even when we want to be special, we know we want to be special just like everyone else. If we would just put all that effort into celebrating ourselves and each other… now, that would be special, wouldn’t it?
