I was strapped onto the snowboard and ready for the ride ““ until someone began squawking, “It’s my birthday!” Losing focus, I tumbled down the hill so fast that I put even Jack and Jill to shame.
Opening my eyes in bed, my nightmare wasn’t over ““ the birthday announcement ruckus continued in the apartment across from mine.
The funny thing is that when we’re the ones having fun, the loud noises and crazy behavior are standard, but we roll our eyes as soon as we’re the ones inconvenienced by others’ parties. Such a hypocritical status quo can be changed, though, once we start becoming more considerate and aware of our surroundings when having fun.
And if my situation was a nightmare, then third-year microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics student Naomi Breckon lived through hell. Already under intense stress from her MCAT the next day, her attempt to get a good night’s sleep was shot, courtesy of people yelling on the streets at 3 a.m.
Breckon said she wanted to yell at them to stop, “But you know you do the same thing when you’re having fun, too.”
Even the dorms, which are more regulated than the apartments, aren’t immune from such annoyances. For example, drunken people jamming the elevator buttons often cause an inconvenience for everyone.
Allyse Engelder, first-year undeclared student, also talked about people channeling anger at those in charge of regulating the situation, such as resident assistants.
Bouncers and bartenders can empathize with RAs. A doorman at BrewCo (who asked not to be identified) told me that when fake ID
holders are caught (which is often) and denied entrance, they often try to argue with him or even try to bribe their way into the bar.
“If you come in here with a fake ID, we get shut down. (Students) don’t think about that ““ they only care about themselves having fun.”
As I listened to the situation from behind the counter, it dawned on me how, while we’re focused on a memorable night out, other people are just as focused on preparing for important exams, early classes the next day, and operating businesses on which their day-to-day lives depend. And true to karma, everyone’s just as vulnerable to the annoying disturbances after their party is over.
But the disappointing fact is that both can be easily reconciled because having a blast and being considerate at the same time isn’t difficult.
Third-year political science student Chris Dougherty commended a fraternity that sent out fliers in his neighborhood before throwing a major party that noted the likely elevated level of noise.
I’ve also heard of parties that exercised containment by making sure that the balcony doors were closed at all times, preventing excessive noise from escaping.
As finals week approaches, we’ll inevitably be stressed, and there’s no better therapy than releasing pressure through crazy antics such as Undie Run and post-exam festivities.
But by just being respectful of our neighbors, hopefully others will start reciprocating the considerate behavior.
After all, the snowy slopes are for everyone to enjoy, and if you are unaware of your surroundings, you’ll very likely crash and even injure others. That is, if you haven’t tumbled down the slopes yet from a birthday hullabaloo.
E-mail Yoo at jyoo@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.