Need to break the ice? It’s easy to make out

There I was, sipping my beverage, surveying the scene that lay before me: The grinding, the pelvic thrustage, the lack of rhythm ““ it was enough to make me outwardly cringe.

Then I glance to the side and see two people ““ perfect strangers up until a few minutes ago ““ making out rather furiously. And don’t even get me started on the straddling action going on.

Forward this to all your coworkers, people; you wouldn’t want anyone to be out of the loop: Making out has become the new handshake.

Essentially, making out is now such a commonplace occurrence that many aren’t even surprised when they see it happening between people who barely know each other.

So you see it, you do a double take ““ not wanting to stare ““ but you can’t seem to take your eyes off the couple. It’s like a train wreck of sorts.

I don’t consider this a bad thing. After all, we’re at a formative stage in our lives as college students, so we should be allowed to experiment a little and enjoy ourselves before we have to settle down.

It’s just turned into part of the college environment.

“I do it quite a bit because it’s fun and natural. … It’s more fun than talking to a bunch of dudes,” said Marcell Ortutay, a third-year computer science student.

You look on the dance floor ““ there are people making out. You look in the bathroom, someone’s there, too. Almost every dark corner and seating area contains two people engaged in this act of communion without needing to know much about each other other than whether they appear attractive enough at that moment.

But not everyone is convinced that this form of greeting people is so harmless.

“Usually I think they’re probably going to regret it and that they’re extremely drunk. … It leads to awkward situations later and decisions you regret,” said Renee Lee, a fourth-year biochemistry student.

Random make-outs definitely lead to awkward situations. While we may be having fun, we should also be mature enough to understand what we’re getting ourselves into when we make such decisions.

Usually, the regret we feel over random make-outs comes from our worries of what other people are thinking about us. If you’re going to make a choice, then stick to it. You know what you’re doing, so don’t be ashamed.

“People get caught up in that the most: what other people are thinking. If we walk away from the situation with a sense of humor and have a positive attitude about it, then it can be something in the past we look back on lightheartedly,” said Natasha Phan, a fourth-year international development studies student.

And while it may seem negative that alcohol’s warm presence is often required for us to lose our usual inhibitions, there are also some basic facts we have to remember when it comes to the subjects of making out and alcohol:

Truth #1: A large portion of the time that a random make-out occurs, the average college student is at least slightly intoxicated.

Truth #2: A large portion of the time, the average college student is at least slightly intoxicated.

So if a=b and b=c …

Maybe it’s just a sign of the times. When you’re in elementary school, the opposite sex has cooties. When you’re in high school, the opposite sex provides a way to alleviate your out-of-control hormones. In college, the opposite sex is there for experimentation and fun. And when you’re older, the opposite sex is your ball and chain.

So if everything happens in stages, we seem to be right on track. Why grow up faster than we need to? There’s already so much pressure on us to choose a major, choose a career and get the perfect internship to get to that perfect career.

If you don’t do some crazy things now, what will you have to look back on and chuckle about when you’re chatting about “the good ol’ days?”

You’re in college, and it doesn’t last forever (unfortunately). So allow yourself to have some fun and to be a little irresponsible. Skip a few classes, have a few drinks, and meet some new people ““ sans handshake.

Do you think the handshake is a stiff way of saying hello? Then schedule a meet-and-greet with Poblador at bpoblador@media.ucla.edu. General comments can be sent to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.

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