Madison, a city often dubbed as ""90 square miles surrounded by reality,"" provides a unique and vastly different perspective to students than that of surrounding areas, yet living within downtown Madison sometimes skews a person's perception.
One has to look no further than the gay marriage ban to see how students and ideas in Madison sometimes differ from the mainstream. Dane County was the one of only two counties—the other being La Crosse County, which voted ""no"" by a mere 16 votes—in Wisconsin to vote ""no"" on the gay marriage ban last month. This clearly indicates the average Madison resident and his or her fellow Wisconsinites do not always operate on the same wavelength.
This column is not saying one group was right and one was wrong, it is simply stating that most Madison citizens do not even realize how different the rest of the state can be.
For instance, when the results came in on election night last month, many students in The Daily Cardinal office were not only disappointed the ban had passed, but many were surprised. Having been bombarded with protests and numerous newspaper articles, as well as Chancellor John Wiley endorsing a ""no"" vote on the gay marriage ban, many students were subconsciously convinced by one-sided lobbying that everyone, everywhere felt the same way they did.
The 2004 presidential elections told a similar story when most of our campus was shocked by the George Bush victory. Again, many students assumed it would not happen, mainly because of the intensity of the liberal views they received from this city.
A rally of 80,000 avid supporters on West Washington Street—the highlight of the John Kerry campaign tour—was staged right in Madison and further convinced students of an inevitable victory. Yet, Madison influences students in areas outside the political arena as well.
Groups from throughout the state continually come to Madison to protest and march down State Street. This past August, a Nazi rally took place in front of the Capitol, which produced an even bigger counter rally on State Street. But that is nothing new, as the word ""protest"" is synonymous with Madison and invokes memories of the Vietnam era.
Protests have their place and time, and they are effective in certain instances, but students should not come to rely on them as the only way to voice their opinion.
Another aspect of being a college student in Madison that has a way of affecting a student's perception is the college lifestyle itself. One of the greatest parts of this lifestyle is the unquestioned freedom to choose when to work and when to party. However, once out of college, graduates will most likely have to answer directly to their boss and follow a rigid schedule.
After being a college student for four years, a student may have a hard time adjusting to the real, working world—a world that requires 40 to 50 hours per week for 52 weeks per year and casual to formal dress attire.
Also, while in college, students only interact with other students and generally do not have much interaction with other age groups, something that will unquestionably change once they enter the working world.
Ultimately, one of the most important features a college graduate possesses is the idealism that challenges preconceived notions and aspects of the real world—aspects that those within the working world have come to take for granted. In the end, students need to be aware that oftentimes the views expressed within downtown Madison are not congruent to the views of surrounding communities.
Amid the bars, beer bongs, 40,000 students, large lecture halls and library mall protests, it is easy to fall into the trap and believe life as a college student in downtown Madison is the norm. In reality, however, it is more of an experience than 100 percent reality. While there is nothing wrong with that, students must always keep it in mind.
