Getting Rid of 'Riddy Culture'
Recent University of Strathclyde graduate Lauren Hunter discusses the plague of social inhibition caused by 'Riddy Culture' in Glasgow
If you took a random sample of people from Scottish cities and asked them what they like about living here, the responses would probably run along the lines of; there being not a lot of pretences, no airs and graces about the place. It’s true – we’re renowned for saying things how they are, and as a student experiencing your first tastes of freedom and independence, that’s bound to feel quite intoxicating.
When I was a fresher a few years ago, part of the excitement lay in creating this whole new-fangled identity for myself; especially being a humanities student, I saw it as the prime opportunity to reinvent myself with different artsy hobbies, clothes, and ways of thinking that boxy blazers and regimented high school classrooms had so far failed to express in my life. I was all ready to go – until I felt a homely pang of fear bolting in my chest. Alas, ‘riddy culture’ had struck me down.
It's a uniquely Scottish phenomenon – the fear of being creative or expressive (or even just existing) in case of judgement or embarrassment. It meant that in my early days of uni, I was constantly conflicted when trying to make new friends: stand out so that I seemed cool and cultured, but not so much that it was cringey, yet just enough to carry it well. Exhausting, and not exactly a match made in heaven for the nascent adulthood ambitions of finding oneself.
Ultimately, having now thankfully seen the back of my 18-year-old self’s identity fever dream, it’s very disappointing to find in cities like Glasgow which are so brimming with culture that we are still ashamed to embrace it. Anyone who dares to is branded ‘airy’, or a ‘luvvie’, or – often seen the worst accusation of all – a ‘student type’, as if an interest in art can be explained away by the connotation of being young and naïve.
Being at uni mandates a period of change in anyone’s life, but it’s also the perfect time to create change from the bottom up. So, Scottish students, your challenge is this – rid yourselves of riddy culture. Be immersed in the brilliant, vibrant creative lifeblood of our cities because, trust and believe, you’ll learn more from that than any 9am lecture. If you do that, in years to come, people might just say that their favourite thing about Scotland is that we’re unafraid to be ourselves.