by Matt Morgan-Rawes

Created on: December 30, 2008

The Rah Fallacy

As an English student and a casual writer, I have been occasionally encouraged by a peer or a scholar to start an essay or prolonged piece of writing with a definition. The initial problem that presents itself in the infancy of my article about "Rahs", however, is that from my perspective the term is so diffuse that articulating it in a simple sentence is very difficult.

Effectively the word "Rah" is a blanket term for a social group of people who share roughly similar characteristics and perpetuate, perhaps inadvertently, myths and stereotypes regarding their own peers. A typical portrait of a Rah would seem to include the following traits: bleached blonde hair, usually messy, a love of "varsity" or traditional public school sports such as Rugby or Lacrosse, a penchant for University branded clothing, Ralph Lauren and/or Jack Wills attire, tanned skin and a voice that could be described as "posh" or usually uses a high register. Indeed the etymology of the word "Rah" can be found in the voices of the Rahs themselves, with the "ah" sound usually elongated and sounds, accidentally or not, aloof and in some way superior. With the latest I-pod sat in one baggy sweat-pant pocket alongside their University I.D card and a packet of ten Marlboro lights and a debit card in the other pocket, the Rah can be seen travelling in groups across any campus of a "Red Brick" University, avidly discussing plans for the evening; "pre-lash" the slang word of choice for getting drunk within their own Halls of Residence, which would cost them or perhaps their privileged parents something in the range of one hundred to hundred and sixty pounds a week in rent.

By seeing my own description of a Rah in writing, I feel a slight pang of guilt and worry. After all, if I can allow myself to indulge in such judgements of people that I barely know nor will I ever know then I cannot deny other people the right to judge me based on my activities, idiosyncrasies, what I choose to wear or even something as fundamental as my physical appearance without becoming a complete hypocrite and thus rendering this article void of any legitimate argument.

As I relieve myself of writing duty to look at myself in the mirror, I attempt to form some kind of portfolio about who I am and how I am to be classified from the perspective of people who do not know me. This, of course, is difficult given that I cannot force myself to have an out of body experience on demand, but I attempt to reduce myself

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