Students aren’t allowed freedom to happiness

The year is now 2019, the world is safer than it ever has been, technology is at its forefront and the human population is increasing. However, with many human advancements being made, students all around the United States are being stripped of their right to the freedom of happiness. Cops hand out minors to students who are drinking responsibly, phones are intensifying emotions… society is becoming stricter than ever.

Americans believe they are as advanced as humanly possible thanks to technological advances such as smartphones, TVs and electric cars. Technologically speaking, this is true. For everything else, not so much.

For example, in its simplest form, surgery is the treatment of injuries of the body by incision or manipulation. Surgery has not made many advancements over the last 50 years with the exception of new pharmaceutical drugs and robots being made. 

Americans are fatter than ever, sadder than ever and lazier than ever. Data is showing increases in irritable bowel diseases and depression in the U.S. And yet, America is supposed to be the most technological country in all of mankind’s history? This simply is not true from the perspective of society. Especially on college campuses.

Students have been barred from their right to the pursuit of happiness. 18-year-olds are sent hundreds of miles away from their families to find themselves dedicating most of their days to academics. With academics comes stress and taxation. 

Students need a break; students need social interaction. More times than not, college students are filled with anxiety, nervousness and strain. A good way of bridging this is through alcohol. 

Undeniably, alcohol is not good for the body, however, is the school going to stop serving ice cream because it is destroying your gut biome? Probably not. More often times than not, alcohol is at the forefront of bringing college students together as a community. 

What is a college campus without a local bar? A party without alcohol? Is college freshman drinking wine in their dorms on a Wednesday night really that big of a threat? For every few belligerent drinkers, there are hundreds of responsible ones. And yet, it is the ones who do right that pay the price.

Cops hand out minors like candy on Halloween. Every party, tame or not, gets shut down by the police. Apartments hand out citations for having as little as six people in one unit. A laissez-faire society is essential to the rights of students. 

Clearly liquor is a tool to unify people and bring campuses closer together, arguably leading to less crime and a decrease in stress and anxiety. Yes, it may be harmful to the body, but that is why one must drink in moderation. Too much water can kill someone.

Political correctness has played its part in making society stricter than ever. Most Americans do not like political correctness, and often times it is not even used in lower-class communities. Obviously one should speak with manners and proper etiquette, and certain words should NOT be said, but context plays a role as well. Maybe hearing something and reading the same thing give two different meanings. 

The point is, social media can intensify political correctness, and with how much time people spend on the internet, it translates into real life. Sometimes I simply have to put my phone down because I can feel my stress peaking. Facebook has been proven to purposely set code to show users things that make them upset. For example, if you are a Republican, maybe you see an increase in propaganda against democrats and vice versa. 

An increase in political correctness will only silence people, making them hesitate what they say, but how is one to learn if they never express their thoughts? Humans need interaction and discussion, it is essential for understanding. Political correctness is leading to an unforgiving society. As stated before, it’s important to speak with proper etiquette, but not all words serve the same connotation in every scenario.

Society is becoming stricter than ever. Yes, it is becoming as technologically advanced as ever, but Americans, especially college students, are losing their right to happiness through the suppression of social gatherings. One might say, “You do not need alcohol to hang out with people,” and that is true. More times than not, this IS what happens. But it should NOT take away from the earning of a moment to let go and forget about a long week of school, work and many other things.