On The Observer we often joke that nobody even reads the school newspaper. Maybe, just because of the sentimental value of this senior section, that might change, and I’ll capture somebody’s attention for five or 10 minutes. Or more likely, this article will be tucked away in the collective cabinets of WCHS graduates, only able to address the other sheets of paper, notes and books that this issue will spend years lingering with.
Therefore, since the reader will probably stop after this paragraph, let me talk about positives for once. I know everyone will say this, but I really have met many, many (to use AP Stat terms) genuine and deserving people at WCHS. I can only be happy for all they have accomplished, and what they will do with their lives. Those people have made the last four years worth it, and because of them high school has been a net positive period in my life.
If people just want to enjoy themselves, I can respect it if they just stop reading here. But I would like to make some other points I feel obligated to get off my chest. I predict that after we all enter “the real world” and reminisce about our time at WCHS, one thing will be glaringly clear: this community is simply detached from reality. From the immense opulence of the McMansions on River Road to cut-throat competition and near narcissism of people who try to be as “elite” as possible, I find the atmosphere of Potomac, Md. to be ridiculously out-of-touch, especially since I did not grow up here.
First of all, why the hell are there so many Lamborghinis, G-Wagons, McLarens and the like on the streets? I have never seen such a concentration of these vehicles outside of this region. If you go far south enough, you’d be hard pressed to even find a Tesla, for God’s sake. It feels like this part of the country has just “won” the very unequal race of wealth and progress in American society.
That attitude is very much reflected by the student body. Look, I get it. There is a caste system in this country, and it gets worse by the day. People are trying to set themselves up for the future. But college is just not that deep, man. The way people look down on others who go to community college, or make fun of their friends who did not get into the same ultra prestigious university as them is completely pointless. We’ve all worked hard, and I do not mean to deflate anyone’s accomplishments, but it came down to a handful of people who skimmed through the essay we typed out at two in the morning. We all went through that same process: four years of hard work, condensed to a couple minutes in an office somewhere. In that sense, we are all equals. Students have no right to brag about where they are going, or to wail around about regrets and past mistakes.
I say this, because I must admit, I am guilty of it myself. But I’ve resolved to change, and am sure everyone will come to the same conclusion just about two weeks after graduation. We need to look ahead, and be excited about all of the great things we are going to do in our lives. When we look back after all these years, we will inevitably realize that we are all angsty teens who do not know what we are doing. One day, we will realize how stupid we were in high school, how little we cared about things. Maybe then people will start appreciating The Observer more.
