Inspired by the 2000 "Keep Austin Weird" movement, the slogan began appearing more frequently at SMCM in 2009 (???) as a facebook group supporting this idea was established (I believe the group has been recently deleted unfortunately).What is weird? That's something I've never understood. How do you keep something weird?
I guess I could talk about weird things I've seen at SMCM. Public art that goes up overnight. Guys in dresses (aka me). College presidents that no one sees. College presidents that offer their home to host a crab feast. The Point on fire. Townhouses with fireplaces. Public Safety officers that give warnings and take celebrity shots during a beer pong match.
I think there are more weird things though.
For Austin it started out as a way to support local businesses, and was eventually Trademarked and appropriated by a corporation. And it caused the surrounding community to continue to hate Austin.
At St. Mary's it started out as a way to express frustration towards a changing student demographic, and was appropriated by the college in 2012 for use in Orientation activities and speeches. And the surrounding community probably still hates SMCM.
HOW WEIRD!!!
You're weird....
ReplyDeleteUh. We keep showing up even tho were old. Thats weird.
ReplyDeleteThe people of SMCM reflect a friendly accepting culture of artistic and individual expression that maintains the college as a vibrant and eclectic center and haven for an LGBT community, intellectual community, community of naturalists and environmentalists and for subcultures and peoples who are not mainstream. SMCM is "Weird" because of that and because it continues to be liberal and progressive politically, socially, in culture, in the arts and in music. "Keep SMCM Weird" is more than a slogan, it reflects the dynamics that encompass the campus.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I would change it to "Keep SMCM Odd" because you're all a bunch of hippies.