I realized it going into the cafeteria today. I was walking along, minding my own business, when a herd of guys strutted in front of me. They were all taller than average, white, probably played intramural football, and wore sneakers.

I looked to my right and left, and saw more of the same. The people milling about me all walked like they had somewhere to go but had all day to get there; no one had childish eyes; the boys wore t-shirts and the girls wore their clothes with obtrusive dressed-up-ness.

I stopped in my tracks, terrified. I realized, for the first time, that I was surrounded by college people.

I don't like college people. I never have. It started in second grade, when I developed a critical opinion of the 19-23 aged crowd: they were all irresponsible, self-centered, and lazy, and were to be avoided at all costs. This conviction stuck with me throughout my life. Sure, in high school I had friends who attended some kind of university, and oh yeah they lived in dorms, but it never sunk in that they were a College Kid. Further, when I moved into Clemson, it never sunk in that my neighbors down the hall were In College, either. They were just my neighbors down the hall, you know?

I'm surrounded.

My psychology book tells me that there are two parts of identity development in an ethnically diverse society. First there's "ethnic identity", wherein one feels a close identification with one's ethnic group, and then on the other hand there's "acculturation", which is a personal identification with the dominant culture. If you are strong in both areas you are classified as "bicultural," and if you are weak in both areas you're "marginal," buddy. Weakness in acculturation but strength in ethnic identity yields a "separatist," and the opposite of that is "assimilated."

Let's pretend that those vocab words don't apply to ethnicities, and instead, apply to mind frames about the college situation. In that case, I think I'm a separatist with bicultural tendencies. After all, I DO own an orange t-shirt.