1997 trapped inside a conversation, The party was so loud I felt like an abbreviation of myself.

I had an interesting experience on the walk home from uni tonight.

Finishing my Regulation of the Media tute at 9pm, I had just picked up some dinner and was walking down Broadway to my humble but lovely home. I was strolling past the Abercrombie Hotel nodding my head sympathetically to the drum ´n bass that pulsed through its smelly, beer and smoke infused walls when I noticed a group of three or four lads walking in the other direction. They were pretty young, probably 18 or 19, and judging by the presence of open Woodstock´s and TED´s coupled with their attire and cocky gait, they were most likely residents of St Paul´s College at Sydney Uni. Maybe young country lads, sent out by their hard-working bush parents to experience tertiary education and (a type of) urban living. Maybe they were city kids, most likely private school types from suburbs like Vaucluse, Clifton Gardens, Pymble (where I lived until about a month ago). They were almost certainly one of the two. Maybe they were a mix. I don´t care.

As our paths crossed several of them sniggered at me as I walked past. I couldn´t really work out why. The biggest of the gentleman leant over as we past each other and in between giggles said ´hey sexy´.
Hey sexy?
Without the chance to respond I started to compile a list of possible reasons for this in my head. Was it
a) Because I was eating sushi?
b) Because I was wearing a purple shirt?
c) Because I was walking down the street instead of rowing?
d) Because they were jealous of my sexily-matted strawberry-blonde hair and used-to-be-an-active-child-but-now-mostly-sleeps-during-the-day complexion?
e) Because difference is funny... And in this case I was not in accordance with the boat-shoes/collar up policy found in Section 4, Subsection A, Paragraph 12 of the ´College Boys Handbook of How to Dress, Act, Talk and Walk: Fitting in perfectly on the inside, Appearing like knob-ends to everyone else´

I´m not sure exactly which of these reasons, if any were the cause of this display. It does not matter. What I thought was funny about it was that they had clearly mistaken me for the wrong person...

While I may live in the inner-west of Sydney now (making me cooler than all of you. Fact.), and dress in a way that makes me appear different to them, and may be humming a song that wasn´t by Pete Murray... At the end of the day I´m still a private school wanker just like you! I have spent virtually my entire life on the upper north shore, I went to a prestigious private school where I played footy and was often a dick to people... If anything I am way more like you than you are(?). We were arrogantly strolling around passing judgement on people when you dicks were still innocent enough to respect those of different class, colour and creed. We were turning up our collars and wearing our real-life blinkers fused on by christian studies classes while you were still wearing speedos and painting yourself in black body paint for your primary school´s annual play that sent a powerful message about tolerance and the Rainbow Serpent´s whacky adventures during the Dreamtime.

The point is, high school is over now, and even though we were all pompous wankers then, there is no stipulation stating that we must remain the same for years to come.

College boys are quite possibly the very last on my list of groups in societies that scare me. Just tell them that they are looking a but thin and should probably think about creatine if they want to play Uni 4ths Colts this year. Oh yeah, and for the way you act most of you guys are suprisingly shit at footy. I´ve got mates who are not even a tenth of the wanker you guys are, that are playing in way better teams than you. If you really want to leave me intimidated with nothing to say, send some angry surfies from coastal areas of NSW. You can´t reason with some of those guys. Before you´ve even made a quip about how sick their mum´s Commodore looks when its smoking up the car park, especially with their little sister´s pre-HSC baby seat in the back they´ve usually screamed ´Fuck off blow-in´ and punched you.

By the way, this post is mostly for humourous effect. Most people from all demographics are at the end of the day quite nice... It is fun to stereotype though.