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    I found this one guy who's super ambitious and smart. He's cuteish and has nice style, totally someone I would go for. He knows my brother and my brother likes him and thinks he's a good guy. But then it comes out that he's jewish. Just my luck.Why do Jewish people only date other jewish people?? frustrating.

    Disclaimer: this kind of struck a nerve, and I’m sure that was not your intent, but I’m having a hard time figuring out what to say and how sensitively to say it (e.g. my first instinct was to just say “the holocaust” but I realize that will accomplish nothing).  I am open to feedback and editing this (or removing it) if I completely miss the mark.

    So I’m not sure if you want me to commiserate (like, womp - there’s a boy you like who it sounds like won’t date you — although you didn’t really make that clear), if you want me to make a joke (hey, one day you’ll find your Prince Charming and at least he won’t have a giant nose and back hair), or if you want me to actually explain why intra-dating of any race/religion/ethnicity, not just Jewish people, is so prevalent (I’m not a sociologist so I’d have to find a good Wikipedia article).

    And I don’t know if I should mention the flip side — i.e. how heated any-race/religion/ethnicity women get when “their” men date not-their-race/religion/ethnicity women — and how it’s not fair to have a double standard.  For example if a Blue girl has ever gotten upset at Blue guys for having a so-called “Purple fetish,” and then that Blue girl finds herself with a crush on a Green guy, she can’t logically also get mad at him if he only dates Green girls.  Since she essentially only wants Blue guys to date Blue girls, but Green guys to also date Blue girls, she’s hypocritically endorsing and denouncing intra-crayola-color dating.  And being selfish.  Sure it’s frustrating if you think you’re getting the short end of the stick, but in my limited experience, I’ve observed people being unfairly inconsistent.  Furthermore, if you’re a Blue girl would you go up to a Purple or Green girl and ask her what’s up with all of this?  Would you think she should answer for it?  Seems like some heavy shit.  Personally I think all of the permutations are so common, and I’ve experienced all sides of it (intra- and inter-, accepted and not accepted), that I just think…  I don’t know what I think.  But I’m not particularly frustrated about it, and I’m not a sociologist, so I’m not going to answer the “why” part on the whole.  I have some ideas in particular about Jews, but I resent being singled out when it’s not just Jews.  (And let’s not open the Judaism-as-a-religion vs. -race vs. -ethnicity vs. -culture can of worms, please.  I don’t have the energy.)

    Also there’s the fact that not all Jewish people only date other Jewish people, which some people embrace and some people shun.  There’s a school of thought about inter-marriage and the Jewish culture washing out completely… which is something I think I rambled about a long time ago.

    And I’m not sure if I should point out that “just my luck” and “frustrating” are not the things I’d jump to think that a hetero white girl would feel in this situation.  I think anyone who grew up with a different perspective — that of a Jew, or any strongly-identifying-but-tiny minority — would probably think that the non-Jew has it easier here.  Jews are only a fraction of a percent of the world, and if maybe half of them won’t date non-Jews, I don’t think the ginormous size of the leftover pool is that bad for the hetero white female to date.  I feel like I’d be done with this whole saga by now if I didn’t have so much familial/cultural pressure hanging on such a limiting factor, so be glad your sea of fish is the bigger one (although I’m not complaining — NYC is the mecca, and I do sometimes date non-Jews).  And I think your average non-Jewish white female is pretty lucky that she’s probably not missing the majority of the branches of her family tree (I assume).  So… I dunno, count your blessings?

    EDIT: Also, the “but then it comes out that he’s Jewish” part makes it sound like a disease.  -___-

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        What are the stress levels like at Reed? I've heard that it's extremely stressful and a lot of work but I've also heard that it's more like a stress culture, where people will complain and focus more about being stressed than actually getting work done.
        Anonymous

        Stress levels depend on a lot of things. How many classes you’re taking, the amount of work in each class, how many organizations/sports/extracurricular things you’re involved in, jobs, etc. Reed is a stressful place, especially around midterm and final periods. There definitely is a stress culture, and Reedies can get caught up in one-upping each other in how much work they have to do, subconsciously or not. But that doesn’t mean they don’t get things done - quite the opposite. Reedies tend to put a lot of time and focus into their work. That certainly doesn’t negate stress or anxiety, however. Often Reed can exacerbate those feelings, and it can be unhealthy (that post was written by Sacha, the original admin.)

        It would be easy to tell anyone to “just manage your time well,” but that’s a cop out. Not everyone is good at that, and everyone has different mechanisms for getting shit done. It can be hard to remind yourself that everyone approaches stress differently. Comparing your work levels or quality to someone else’s doesn’t help, and it’s sometimes really hard sometimes to not feel inadequate compared to your classmates. The important thing is to try to stay grounded.

        Freshman year has it’s transitions. You learn how to handle the reading and writing load, the class scheduling, feeding yourself, and ways to stay sane. One of the best things to keep in mind during any year at Reed is that you know how much you can handle. It can be different from everyone else’s tolerance levels, and that’s totally ok. It’s also completely ok to say you’re overwhelmed. You learn to figure out how much you can really invest yourself, and when it gets to be too much. Still, it can be hard to admit you have met your threshold. And that’s where your friends, your professors, your Housing Adviser, the Health and Counseling Center, Academic Services (they’re awesome), and even Student Services comes in. (Read this post for a little more detail on these resources, or search the stress tag.) Community is a big deal at Reed, and having resources that support you and your needs is really important. 

        There are physical ways to avoid the stress culture, too. Some people can’t stand working in the library, and avoid it like the plague. Living off campus means you can leave campus every day, and don’t have to spend all of your time there. Off-campus jobs allow you to do things outside of the Reed bubble. Making a point to schedule in time during the weekend where you can explore someplace new or stay grounded by getting out into the real world for a bit is also really helpful. 

        Reedies, what have your experiences with stress been? What have you done to cope? Have you found good ways to escape the stress culture? Reply to this post or in the ask box, and we’ll post them here.

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          Noora Lappi

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              I hate my friends

              lunaticphan:

              So my driving instructor texted me, and I was walking so I just typed ‘Ok’ and hit send and then I looked at it and was like WHAT

              image

              But as it turns out, my friends are entirely responsible for turning ‘Ok’ into a shortcut. 

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              Cry

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                xanis:

                Jessica Chastain shot by Max Vadukul

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                    too precious

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                      2811

                      I will be a rising senior, and I see before you and I an opportunity though in recent times original, in the larger Reed community undoubtedly not (read: Olde Reed).

                      I ask for a patch of earth, sizeable such that I may pitch a backpacking tent thereon, and therein I will sleep for my last 2 semesters at Reed.

                      Apart from that, I ask for nothing further. The college provides food (scrounge), showers (sport’s center), connectivity (wifi), intellectual endeavours (ubiquitous). I needn’t even have access to nearby dwellings, only the patch of earth upon which the tent stands. I can financially compensate you for said patch, and I have lived out of a tent before.

                      I am very flexible. That is, if you wish for another member of the household, that can be. If you would like the tent to be highly temporary, that is, only erected when I sleep therein, that can be. If you find me quickly distasteful and wish me gone, that too can be.

                      I seek here to test the limits of material necessity, to invoke the ghost of Olde Reed, to thesis out of a tent. Help enable this journey?”

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