College Orientation Teaches Freshman How To Say “We Bleed Purple!” With Conviction
Say it seriously!
The college one chooses to attend often has lifelong effects on their identity.
Will they forever see their self as a Banana Slug or a Fighting Irish, and does that sound dumb?
Will they be able to say “I bleed purple” in a manner that doesn’t sound ridiculous?
One university is now helping their students practice saying the phrase, “we bleed purple” at their freshman orientation, so that the students deliver the phrase with some gusto and, most importantly, that they don’t sound like a joke.
According to one freshman who completed the orientation, the three keys to saying the phrase are:
It’s not a joke. Say it seriously and you will be taken seriously.
Look the person in the eye. If you break eye contact, it conveys weakness and then saying “we bleed purple” won’t sound intimidating.
Yell it, if you can. Saying “I bleed purple” using an inside voice is bound to sound ridiculous. Put some gruff behind it.
Results of the orientation vary, as one student said, “None of my friends take my college seriously. I don’t know if it’s the fact that our primary color is purple, the fact that it’s a Christian university, or the fact that our mascot is the horned frog, but none of my friends take my college seriously.”
“Still, at the end of the day, I bleed purple,” the student said sheepishly.