This is not my voice
By Thomas McAteer
“Hey, come protest!” “Did you hear there is a riot at South College? You should
totally come?” “Everyone needs to come to Crowell today at 4 p.m., it’s totally
important?” Protest WHAT? The stance demonstrated yesterday is fragmented,
immature, and incoherent. Clearly there are individuals with reasonable opinions
who too were appalled at how shockingly the progress of the student body was set
back by the overall actions of yesterday. I state now that this message is not
directed at them in the least, and I hope that they share my opinion in what I
have to say following.
I do not even need to engage the issues to demonstrate the base problem with
this method of protest: we feel that we are entitled to adult consideration, but
we act like children. Telling the president of our University to turn his back
for a no and face the audience for a yes accomplishes nothing except
demonstrating a desire to “get back at the president.” Revenge is one of the
most ignoble motivations I can think of. Further, I have heard fewer words that
have made me more nauseated in my life than “No, don’t go to the cinema, it will
make more of a political impact to see the masses outside Crowell?” Since when
did VOLUNTARY IGNORANCE TRUMP BEING INFORMED? This is a desire for
self-glorifying martyrdom, not progress.
Please, if you feel at all disgusted by what I have to say, condemn me. I’d
rather be condemned as an individual than identified with a disunited mass.
Condemn me for desperately hoping that the reputation of those of us who calmly
consider both sides of the issue before speaking out in an adult fashion is not
tarnished by the actions of those who practice a knee-jerk, adolescent
liberalism. Actions like these lessen the worth of the entire student body and
prove every criticism Republicanism can throw at us.
This is not a glorious revolution. This is not the success of the worker. This
is not the people assuming power.
This is kids realizing they can scream at adults in adult sounding voices for
the first time in their lives.
An unprecedented opportunity to engage in a productive dialogue with the
administration of our University was completely and utterly wasted yesterday,
and worse than wasted. I will never again believe for a second that what is
desired by this student body is dialogue: it is perfectly clear that most of the
students who spoke out yesterday want to force their agenda on the rest of the
world just as any other ‘–ism’ does.
As a parting note, I wish again to address those in the student body who do
desire productive dialogue with the administration, and not simply a spitting
contest: distance yourselves from this nonsense. Find ways to calmly approach
the administration in smaller, coherent groups.
It is people like you who will be the innovators and reformers of tomorrow. To
those who so publicly and enthusiastically embarrassed themselves yesterday: I
implore you, next time you think about protesting, don’t pretend to represent my
opinion, or even for a minute assume you even think you know what I want, though
I fear my words fall upon deaf and balkanized ears.
McAteer is a member of the Class of 2006.
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