Vex And The Verm: The Most Prominent Culture at USD

   It’s the thought that consumes pretty much everyone’s mind – Hookups, specifically hookup culture and what it looks like at USD.

     Have you ever hooked up with someone? Someone who you went with knowing exactly what each of you was going to get out of it. How did it leave you feeling? Did you feel anything?

     I don’t want to divulge my personal experiences. After all, I don’t know who is reading. Instead, I want to discuss the issues as a whole and share stories I know.

     There once was a student who came to college without ever sharing a kiss with anyone. Although they tried repeatedly to find a connection with someone (for about a month), the prince never came. 

     In the meantime, however, they thought they could substitute a frog for the prince, hoping that if they kissed enough, the frog would become what they wanted.

     Night after night the student brought frogs to their dorm room. It started simple, but as time went on they still hadn’t found their happily-ever-after. 

     Eventually, they gave up. Settling for nothing more than the one-night fling. 

     The student didn’t give up though. They know that someday if they kiss enough frogs, one will be their prince. 

     On the topic of sex, most people I know don’t even find it to be that great. There is great sex out there, but even then, as with the student in this story, it isn’t all it’s cracked out to be. 

     To these people, the pleasure of sex isn’t why they do it. It’s just to feel the connection. 

     A few nights ago I sat in a booth with a sorority girl and I asked her thoughts on hooking up and casual sex. The girl gave three main reasons as to why she does or may do it. The first reason was feeling “obligated,” in her words, “everyone else is doing it.” 

     Her second reason is that she wishes it could be more but knows that it won’t. I don’t think I have to elaborate on that. 

     The last reason is simply that “sometimes you just need it and need one night to prove that you can do it.” The girl recognizes the negatives of the culture, “there are definitely negatives,” but she believes it has a silver lining. 

     To some, it’s all about false hope, a momentary moment of quiet connection. To others though, it’s a rush. An adrenaline kick, that can, unfortunately, leave them black and blue. 

     To me, I still don’t know why people do it. Perhaps simply because we can.