The Pomona Bubble: Not Impregnable
By Brandon Routman
Staff Writer

Recently, I went on a hunt for flip-flop sandals. I biked out of the beloved confines of the second happiest college campus in America and trudged over to Target. It was my first foray into the real world since coming to Pomona, and it proved to be enlightening. First of all, I learned that flip-flops are surprisingly rare in the town of Montclair; I went to a number of different stores there and returned to Pomona unsuccessful, wearing my battered, but reliable brown loafers of four years. Secondly, I realized something that I had subconsciously taken for granted since coming to college, but had never confirmed for myself. Yes, this is cliché to say, but we do live in a bubble. A thick bubble, in fact, one that bears little resemblance to the outside world.

That bubble, though, has been under attack as of late. Consider this: within the past week there was a raging fire that threatened a good chunk of Southern California. Ash rained from the sky, the clouds had a demonic quality, and people breathed bad air into their lungs. Prospective students who visited the campus probably went away a bit disheartened. Furthermore, we have read a number of disconcerting emails from the administration, detailing robberies and sexual offenses in the past month or two. Is our dearly-loved Pomona bubble bursting?

Frankly, if it is, it hasn’t ruffled much of the student body’s general contentment as far as I can tell. Besides a few of us who happen to have our permanent residences around the town of Claremont, we thought the fire was an annoyance, not a real significant danger. While it struck fear into the hearts and minds of our neighbors and parents, our biggest concern was whether class was cancelled for it. Naturally, we hoped that it was. Similarly, we have not thought too much of the spike in the number of alarming emails we have received. We figure that life, after all, goes on.

If anything, these examples make us cherish the bubble even more, reminding us of how incredibly sheltered our environment actually is. It is only after a natural disaster like a huge fire or after hearing about a sexual predator that we truly appreciate how safe we generally are. At this point, we realize our biggest worries have been doing well on chemistry tests, and perhaps we might feel a bit petty for having those types of superficial concerns. When there are so many problems in the world, how can we feel right about sitting back and enjoying life here at Camp Pomona?

On the other hand, I definitely feel that, since we are ensconced in this bubble for four years, we might as well enjoy it. Few people have as sweet a deal as we have got. We have a fairly steady stream of stir-fry, an occasional racquet ball game, and a budget that can afford to throw around an absurd amount of money on a Presidential inauguration party.

So, in sum, the bubble is safe. If only I can find some damn flip-flop sandals.