Anyone else struggle with the political culture at WWU?
Hey everyone, F20 sophomore here. I’m just venting a bit as someone who is struggling here despite the fact that I am very liberal like the majority of campus. The super-progressive atmosphere on campus is great in a lot of ways, but it can also feel exhausting. I constantly feel like I have to watch what I say and prove that I’m a decent person, even when I’m just existing or making light comments tied to my own background.
It kinda feels like in this school, simply mentioning race or cultural background in any conversation is treated as inherently taboo or problematic by many. For example, I have no issue with race representation and think it’s genuinely important. What frustrates me is when studios like Disney race-swap characters in live-action remakes of old stories and act like it’s bold progressive activism, when it mostly feels like lazy recycling instead of creating fresh, original characters and stories that could stand on their own. (The same goes for remakes in general, race-swapped or not — I’d just rather see new movies like the upcoming Hexed.) We should be able to openly discuss race and different cultures without it automatically being labeled offensive, as long as it’s done without harmful stereotypes. I brought this up to a newer acquaintance of mine and they acted like it was racist just because I thought the race-swapping was problematic, as if I didn’t approve of people of color which is not at all the case.
Anyway, another example: I’m roughly half Japanese and strongly identify with that side of my family. I have full Japanese grandparents I spend a lot of time with, and I’ve been speaking basic Japanese with them since I was a kid. Recently I was watching anime in the living room and one of my roommates (who is fully white) walked in and said I watch it a lot. I joked back, “Yeah, guess people with some Japanese in their blood are just bound to love anime.” She actually got offended and told me I shouldn’t make “racist” generalizations like that. It was a self-deprecating joke about my own heritage and something I genuinely connect with… but apparently that crossed a line.
Another time, the same roommate (who is bisexual) was complaining to our other roommate (she’s a lesbian) about how much straight people annoy her (she knows I’m straight and have a boyfriend). She went on about hating when straight people post in support of LGBTQ rights because it feels performative to her, etc.
Another time, I casually and accidentally referred to a classmate as “she” in conversation without first asking her pronouns. Those turned out to be her correct pronouns, but she still got visibly offended and corrected me, saying I should have asked first. I wasn’t trying to assume anything, it just came out naturally based on how she presented but it reinforced that feeling that even normal, everyday language can be a minefield where I’m one wrong word away from being seen as insensitive.
These are small moments, but they add up. It feels like in this environment, certain identities get a free pass to make broad statements about groups, while others (like mine) have to be hyper-cautious not to accidentally offend the prevailing orthodoxy. I support people living their lives and having their communities, but the constant sense that I need to prove I’m “one of the good ones” just for being straight, mixed-race in the “wrong” way, or not 100% aligned with the dominant campus politics is draining.
Anyone else feel this way on campus, or am I overthinking it? Would love to hear similar experiences without it turning into a huge problem.