Last Thursday I wore baseball cap boasting my fraternity letters. The next day I wore a black and gold hat from West Africa. I had a much different set of "friends" on Thursday than I did on Friday.
Dartmouth students live in a stratified social structure. We are all walking billboards of our social status on this campus. This self-advertisement goes beyond individual style or financial resources. Sure, a pair of Z. Cavaricci's will grab my attention, but it is not enough to assign social status. The status I am referring to is much more institutional in nature.
At Dartmouth, symbols, more than anything else, define who we are. A pink triangle, an Indian T-Shirt, an SAE jacket, a Malcom X hat or a Tri-Delt sweater are all symbols with profound perceptual ideologies.
Whether it's in the classroom, at Thayer Dining Hall or at a weekend party, we are continually defining each other by our perceived social group. These definitions can help and harm our work at Dartmouth.
For example, a student wearing a "Cold Beer, Cold Weather, Cold Women" t -shirt has a tough time at a bug meeting, just as a student wearing a pink triangle has a tough time at many fraternities and sororities.
Social symbols, no matter what the intent, define an ideology. This definition, however, is often wrong. Many people make the assumption that a person wearing a pink triangle is gay, or that a person wearing an Indian T-Shirt is a racist. While this is certainly true in some cases, it is not true in every case. If I were to wear a Star-of-David, would you assume that I am a Zionist?
Wearing multiple symbols at one time can be a very powerful visual tool. Building from our last example, a person wearing a Star-of-David along with a pro-Palestinian t-shirt is making a large political statement. I once wore a pro-gay rights t-shirt along with a hat with my fraternity letters. Several acquaintances of mine were confused that day. Many people, after noticing that hat, would begin to say hi to me, but then when they noticed the t-shirt, would pretend that they didn't see me and keep walking.
On my "hat days" -- mornings when I am too rushed to shower -- I'll sometimes carry two or three hats with me and rotate them throughout the day. I am always prepared for a changing environment.
Of course, pre-judged opinions of someone are based on many cosmetic characteristics that go beyond simple symbols. One's skin color, gender, height and weight contribute to a complete prejudiced picture.
While perceptions in general are good -- it's important to know the difference between a raccoon and a charging bull -- attaching an ideology to a symbol or a body type is dangerous. Not all gay men wear pink triangles, and not all people who wear pink triangles are gay.
Andre Agassi boasts that "image is everything." At Dartmouth, I doubt that it is everything, but it sure is a hell of a lot.
