Courtesy of Jacob Davick
Picture this: It’s 7:59 AM and you’re late for class. Somehow, you were able to peel yourself up and out of bed only to realize that you don’t have time to get breakfast. If you did, the only thing you’d get from walking into class that morning would be blank stares from your classmates and an absence on the attendance record that feels like a blowdart to the neck.
Hastily weaving your way around fellow zombies like yourself and responsible students who took the time to go to bed early, you move towards your destination. And then, like a jogging mom downtown who didn’t realize she was jaywalking, you feel the animal instinct to sidestep as an electric scooter zips past you at top speed.
You catch your breath, stunned. How could I have not noticed? What could I have done better? Why did I not realize I was about to be slimed out by a thin, vertical Segway?
You, dear student, are not alone in your plight, for many of us have felt the same. And yet, should we blame these knights upon their plastic steeds?
Yes. Still, the cause of the problem does not rest on their shoulders alone.
Vice President Stephanie Formenti, in her mid- semester reminders email, asked the scooters to slow down, recognizing there is indeed a problem. I argue that the problem is not the speeding scooters but the inattentive students, whether on scooters or on foot.
The overall problem is this: Every student, to some degree, has an awareness problem. Whether from headphones and AirPods, doomscrolling while walking, or just being absorbed in a good conversation, we tend to block out the world around us. This means we tend to block out the people around us, too.
I am not an exception. I am a prime example.
I tend to engage deeply with everything I do, whether that be carefully listening to a song I just discovered or directing my full attention to my hallmate while we’re walking to lunch. Although I treasure these things I still need to pay attention.
No matter what we do, we need to remember that we do not walk this campus alone. We are not the center of the universe. We are a part of a student body and therefore need to direct some level of care and respect towards those around us.
Either that or we should require scooters to have little clown horns on the handlebars so we know they’re coming. One of the two.