Features

How ‘Scarfie’ Became a Dirty Word.

 
 
The Beginning
The term ‘Scarfie’ originated with the practice of students wearing blue and gold (the Otago colours, duh) scarves during the cooler months of the year. 
 
The Middle
Over the years, Otago students endeared themselves to the term, which led to it becoming what we call a social identifier. However, back then, 'Scarfie' wasn’t a negative term: the connotations were generally of cultural relevance, indicative of the lifestyle, the fashions (think op-shop grunge), and the political conscience of students. 
 
The End
The deterioration of the term ‘Scarfie’ from an identifier to a derogatory/ironic piss-take is both interesting and contentious. One thing is certain, however: the changing attitudes and behaviour of students has driven it. 
The media took to the idea of a Scarfie like a moth to a flame, and soon the stereotype was instantly recognisable, with a namesake feature film, all of Marc Ellis' tragic reminisces (particularly embarrassing as a role model now that you only see him cooking sausages on roofs in HRV ads), Scarfie Days, Studentville, and airlines and businesses offering Scarfie specials. The University itself was a big driving force, and jumped on the bandwagon by using Scarfie clichés in their Get Over It marketing campaigns to lure students here, and their (lame) attempt to connect with students – Scarfie.com. This was a move made to convert the problematic image of the scarfie (as hooligan) into the palatable image of a suburban mum’s son or daughter not-fucking-away-from-home.
 
Of course, people our age rebel against what is expected of us – “I’m just trying to take my place in the world, braah” – so we start doing the opposite.
• We dressed all fancy instead of wearing trackpants and hoodies.
• We went to the Octagon instead of Scarfie ‘icons’ like Gardies and The Bowler.
• We studied more, and began obsessing over Grad jobs.
• We stopped giving a fuck about student and national politics ...
• ... And the big causes of the day went unprotested.
In this sub-culture, however, there are still the tragics. Here at Otago, some dedicate their time to fulfilling the clichés, wearing trackpants and jandals through winter and drinking so much fucking piss.
 
This shift in meaning of the term 'Scarfie' over the years has led to some interesting juxtapositions. At the same time as the University of Otago uses the Scarfie image to entice people to come to the University of Otago, it condemns and is threatened by the behaviour of media-styled Scarfies as they hit this city's streets. Basically, it’s gotten all confused, and since it's hard to identify with an abstract social identifier (‘Scarfie’), no one knows what the fuck is going on.
Cast your mind to 2006. Undie 500. The riot. The chant. "Scarfies on the piss." The people who started chanting might have done so in a highly self-aware fashion, but lots of the people that joined (or watched in horror) would not have realised it was tongue-in-cheek (or was not, who knows?). Either way, it's a clear demonstration that one can no longer partake in ultimate 'Scarfie' activities like smashing bottles and lighting couches on fire without acknowledging what a cliché those activities are.
The ‘Scarfie’ concept has become so massive that it is now incredibly lame to spend your life fulfilling the cliché that is spouted by your 50-year-old parents and simultaneously seized upon by various marketing executives. Not only is the term empty of any real meaning or relevance, it's just, well, uncool. Some people still enjoy lighting couches on fire and throwing bottles, but for most, to do so sincerely would be embarrassing. 
What is clear now is that the people who still genuinely self-identify as a Scarfie are a veritable who’s who of human sop.