Marie Collop, Assistant Sports Editor
Our generation is increasingly accepting the hookup culture as the norm and doing away with the idea of traditional dating and relationships.
Our grandparents had it right when it comes to dating. The art of courtship is lost on our generation. Fewer and fewer people ask someone they’re interested in going out on a date. Today, people meet others through dating apps or through other callous interactions such as a drunken party.
Despite realizing that nonchalant relationships benefit neither party involved, our generation continues to fully embrace the hookup culture.
We have become so heavily concerned with casual hookups that intimate connections with others have been virtually eradicated. Aside from drunken sex the night before, the idea of courtship and dating has been replaced with a never-ending game that always seems to end in a negative fashion.
Nowadays, people are afraid of the end-all, be-all idea of commitment. The one who doesn’t care the most in a relationship is the ultimate winner. If we don’t set ourselves up for a potential painful situation, we won’t have to worry about heartbreak. Dating has transformed into a big game of, “oh he didn’t text me first, so I can’t text him,” and, “I saw him with another girl yesterday, so he must have moved on.”
I can see why this culture has become so popular with our peers. It all seems good and well. Don’t put yourself out there and show someone how you really feel in order to avoid pain. It’s a low-risk, low-reward situation, but, this is where our peers have it wrong. If individuals want to get the kind of love that they see in typical movies, you have to tell someone how you really feel. Casually avoiding feelings and lingering around someone you’re truly interested in won’t get you any closer to a fulfilling, intimate relationship with someone. Our generation needs to learn how to take chances because eventually, in the end, one of those times you risk it all, it will all be worth it.
This new culture is especially prevalent among college students. Maintaining a relationship in college is hard enough, but when everyone seems to be obsessed with the idea of hooking up and shying away from commitment, it makes it even more difficult.
College students hear it all the time— “embrace your college years. Don’t concern yourself with being tied down.” But is this really preparing us for life after college?
With apps like Tinder and Zoosk, everyone seems to be looking for a casual, temporary hookup instead of a commitment that would be worth it in the end. It may be difficult to break away from the mainstream opinions on dating and begin dating like our grandparents once did, but it will be worthwhile to fully invest your time in someone you truly care about.
Testing out different partners, whether it be during an occasional hookup or actually going on planned dates, we should all have the same end of a worthwhile relationship in mind.
Everyone jumps on those couples who have been in long, substantial relationships, but is it because they try to show them what they think is the greener side, or are they just jealous?