Angela Davis once said, “Revolution is a serious thing, the most serious thing about a revolutionary’s life. When one commits oneself to the struggle, it must be for a lifetime.”
This statement applies to students, to faculty and all humans – a living, breathing, existing species. Why should one who can reflect, rationalize and conclude live in such apathy when the revolution is waiting to help turn over the crimes made against humanity?
The notion that “we the people” have become more and more ignorant to issues we currently face is irritating. Consider all the problems that we are not addressing because Americans think problems are not apparent, already “taken care of” or are just plain apathetic.
Just a few to reflect on: crimes committed against humans because of color, “illegal” status, or man-constructed borders, or the anticipated invasion of Iran. Maybe we can start focusing on what is really going on in Iraq instead of flipping on the television and receiving the “official” report from Fox 11 News.
Not only am I disappointed with the lack of immediate activism, but that I live, yet do not feel I belong, among my generation’s stereotype – receiving the label of an apathetic youth.
The lack of movement and unity within student communities allows politicians, corporations and government officials to take advantage of the fact that we do not know our rights correctly, or we do not act on those known rights to make significant change.
When I say “correctly,” I speak of the fact that 21 percent of Americans believe the First Amendment guarantees the right to own pets. There is so much going on behind our backs (as well as in front of our faces), yet more people turn away and ignore problems rather than finding ways to confront them.
In the Daily Forty-Niner’s opinion section, I have read the bold, controversial issues. But where is the action from the students who read these articles?
I see our right of freedom of speech and press exemplified, but what about the rest of the First Amendment that we supposedly hold high, as a “free” people?
The right to assemble and petition is continuously ignored, or left to a small percentage who actually care, such as the protest for the rights and freedom of the Jena 6, which was recently held on campus. There is little organized action against government crime, media brainwash and dishonesty, racism, sexism, etc.
Most students are not organizing for themselves or their generation’s political freedom, but are allowing others to do the job for them. It seems that most are satisfied and content with the representatives in office, including student, state and national government. But those representatives do not respect students or the people as a whole.
Even if students are speaking out against the unrepresentative government and do not believe that certain office-holders are doing a good enough job, action is rarely followed from their words. “Action speaks louder than words” shouldn’t be cliché.
As of now, it seems the only thing that would get everyone’s attention is another “draft,” just as Armando Vazquez-Ramos stated in his Oct. 3 Daily Forty-Niner article “Early EOP student calls for student, faculty activism.”
But what if that draft is already here? What will we do then? We sit idly waiting for another law or rule dictating where we should go, who we should be and what we should know or not know. Is that not what a draft does?
Talking can help create ideas about what action you could take. But your actions should reflect your words in order to carry out the change that you will make. Talk or walk, we have all heard it before. Practicing freedom of speech is also having the responsibility of carrying out assembly and petition.
It is time to stop the trend of apathy and start revolutionizing, organizing and taking action toward a freer, autonomous future.
Nicoal Sheen is a sophomore political science major.
