MSU’s Red Flags

In recent years, our generation has become obsessed with the concept of “red flags.” For those who aren’t familiar with the term, it’s usually used with regard to relationships and describes a trait someone has that is a warning sign of something bad to come. Of course this concept has been around for as long as people have been. But only recently has the term “red flag” exploded. It seems everywhere we look, people are making videos, writing posts and telling friends about the worst red flags they’ve experienced or seen in other people. 

Red flags are different for every individual. As the old saying goes, one person’s trash is another’s treasure. A trait or moment that one person sees as a warning sign, another may see differently. This leads me to wonder — are we perhaps a little too judgemental with our red flag labels? As a generation, are we overly critical of people we hardly know? Do we make large assumptions based on one small thing? Mmm…perhaps. But will we stop seeing others' negative traits and telling all our friends about them? Certainly not. 

Given the red-flag-scare our generation is suffering through, I felt it was my duty to speak to the MSU community about their opinions on the matter. I simply needed to know what their biggest, reddest flags were. I compiled answers ranging from the mundane to the insane. Here’s what our MSU community feels to be the biggest red flags:

• “A lack of self awareness.”
• “Being involved in hookup culture.”
• “Owning an entire chocolate factory and letting random kids die in it.”
• “Leaving their sound on for texting so you constantly hear little noises.”
• “Saying the Griz aren’t so bad.”
• “Comparing majors and acting holier than thou just cause they know how to do math.”
• “Using three-in-one body wash.”
• “Creating the one ring to rule them all and trying to take over Middle Earth.”
• “Telling me I’m really good at something for a girl.”
• “Using empty 30-racks of beer as wall art.”
• “Assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand and starting World War I.”
• “When I’m sad, telling me that things could be worse.”
• “Collecting all the infinity stones and destroying half the population in an attempt to create balance.”
• “Being born into a wealthy family, but deciding to dress up like a bat and fight crime.”
• “Steak well-done.”
• “Writing for the school paper.”
• “When I see people get better grades than me, meanwhile they are playing Cool Math Games through every lecture while I slave over my notes. Ugh.”
• “Slow walkers. Some of us actually have places to be, so move over.”
• “Those mf’s that go [to class] the first day and then are never to be seen again until the final. What mysterious evil doings they are up to has always been a pondering of mine.”
• “Relying on others for homework.”
• “Acting like your opinion is more important [than others’].”
• “Saying “slay” all the time.”
• “Ski attire and driving a Subaru.”
• “Not liking rap or acting like you’re too good for pop-culture.”
• “When you literally tell them the fight is over because you have the high ground, but they say something dumb like “you underestimate my power” as if you’re not about to destroy them.”

Clearly, the MSU community has some pretty strong feelings regarding red flags. I guess this is just the age we live in now. It’s a sad day when it’s no longer cool to dress up like a bat and come out at night to fight crime, but it seems like that day may have arrived.

All we can really do is keep being ourselves and hope we meet people who appreciate us for who we are. It may sound hypocritical, but the biggest red flag I’ve seen are people who constantly talk about red flags in others. Live your life your way, and don’t spend all your time looking for flaws in other people — or yourself. Unless you’re a dickhead or you write for the Excrement, in which case you should definitely change who you are.