People love to complain.
Whether it be about school, work, professors, classes, etc., people love to vent their feelings.
With new mediums for this complaining, like Yik Yak, people are getting a little out of control.
Yik Yak, an app targeted for college students to connect with others in the area, has become a place where students go only to complain and gossip.
The interesting thing about Yik Yak, as most students know, is that it is anonymous.
I understand that people sometimes have things that they’re upset about or want to talk about, but anonymously complaining about things is something I will never understand.
If people are really that upset about something, why would they do nothing other than complain about it on Yik Yak?
For example, if your roommate is listening to music loudly while you’re trying to sleep, why would you go on an anonymous social media site and write about it? What good is that going to do?
Instead, wouldn’t it make sense to simply ask your roommate to turn the music down or off and have the problem solved, rather than just complain about it anonymously?
What I have found, of course, is that people are not always necessarily looking for a solution when posting on Yik Yak. They are looking for sympathy.
But even if people sympathize with a situation, does that really change anything?
I have always tried my best to be a real person.
I tell it like it is. I’m pretty forward.
So when I see people complaining about things and then not taking any steps to try and change them (if possible), it really grinds my gears.
If I have a problem with someone or something, I usually try and confront them or it, and get the issue resolved.
Anonymously complaining about easily fixable issues just makes no sense to me.
If you want something, you have to be willing to take initiative to get it.
If you think your professor graded you unfairly, don’t go on Yik Yak. Talk to the professor.
If you stand up for what you believe, your professor might re-consider your grade. Even if she doesn’t, she will probably have respect for you because you brought it up.
The bottom line: Complaining anonymously does nothing.
You could make a difference if you bring it up to the right people.
Of course, there will always be things that can’t be changed, and there is nothing people can do about it.
But, again, the little things, like wanting the people that live above you to quiet down, or wanting the dining locations on campus to be open later, shouldn’t be complained about if you’re not going to do anything to try and change them.
If you simply take the initiative to walk up the stairs and ask the people above your room to quiet down, or go to the food committee meetings held on campus and express your thoughts, you might actually see some changes in these things.
Everything is not always going to go your way, because that’s life. But trying never hurts.
There have been a lot of things in my life that have been changed or corrected just because I brought them up.
Sometimes people really just don’t know how you’re feeling about something.
It can be that simple.
Anonymously complaining rarely leads to any positive outcomes, but addressing the issues might.
So why not try?
Daniel is VN news editor
