people who know me know i don't want to work for the man. i don't ever want to be a tool. anyone's tool. i don't want to be a tool of oppression, capitalism, materialism, racism, misogyny, etc., etc.
*however,* i also don't believe in being a tool of blind resistance. i don't think i, or anyone, should automatically subscribe to a philosophy or fight for a cause simply because it seems "progressive," "forward-thinking," or geared towards equality. not everything that's presented as fair or right is actually fair or right. and framing such things as fair or right simply because they're supposedly "anti-establishment" or "fighting the man" doesn't sit well with me.
right now, i'm at a very liberal, very politically active campus. it seems like people are always protesting everything. turns out that, in that respect, my east-coast private university experience doesn't differ much from my huge state school in the south experience. really, i'm quite accustomed to living in a protest-oriented culture. and i realized long ago that protesters and activists can sometimes be just as unthinking and easily influenced as the purportedly slow, stupid conservatives that they protest against.
lately, there have been several protest activities going on on NYU campus. personally, i can't say that i necessarily support any of them. i think that with respect to several of these issues and causes, i don't have enough information about either side to make an informed judgment in good conscience. i dare say that's the case with most people here. the difference is that, lacking that information, and also lacking the energy to proactivtly acquire it (i'm having a hard enough time acquiring information for my classes, aka "studying"), i personally will reserve judgment.
in contrast, many of the people i encounter here, though similarly lacking in information or experience, will automatically come down on whichever side seems more "oppositional," "contrary," "revolutionary," "anti-establishment," or whatever else. they don't really consider causes, effects, implications, consequences, statistics, etc. they just blindly buy into whatever seems in line with their own perception of themselves as "fighting the man." which is their own decision, of course. it's still mildly irritating, considering we're freaking in law school, and one would assume people would be able to think for themselves without blindly buying into any particular viewpoint or issue. but like i said, that's their prerogative.
what's supremely irritating, though, is when they come after me. they try to persuade me that i should come over to their side of the issue. or worse, they just assume that i'll be on their side of the issue. they assume that any "thinking" person would be on their side of the issue. truly ironic, since as it seems pretty clear that they're the ones who aren't doing a whole lot of thinking here, but are just blindly following.
what's worse still is when they get the impression that i'm not instantly persuaded, that i'm not condoning their views or their actions--and yet, not condemning them either, but only reserving judgment--they become perplexed and perhaps even adversarial. they're astonished that i or any other "intelligent" person wouldn't want to instantly support them, and they start to get pushy about making people support them. not only are they spamming everyone by sending out dozens of e-mails a week on every possible listserve, handing out propaganda, and making announcements left and right, they also feel they're justified in personally telling individuals what to think, how to vote, or who to support. it's truly the opposite of enlightened or progressive. it's just as backward, unthinking, and forceful as the ideological regimes they supposedly condemn.
i think at both ends of the ideological spectrum, there are people who have turned their filters completely one way or the other to only let one brand (or a few particular brands) of information in. and from both sides, they try to prey upon people in the middle of the spectrum who have functional, adaptable filters, who use their brains, who think critically about the information that's presented to them, and who make indpendent judgments based on their own beliefs and ideas. this behavior is unjustified and hypocritical. i don't appreciate being targeted and harassed because i'm trying to be that self-respecting person in the middle. either way, the people harassing me are tools. tools of a different "man" in each case, but still tools. and they make me feel like i have to fight the man on both sides, and that's not a feeling to get excited about.
Posted by naseem at November 10, 2005 11:38 PMNYC is an intense place, that's for sure. When these folks get older, they'll simmer down. Or discover what they truly believe, not just what their party, family, teachers, or friends believe.
Posted by: lacey at November 11, 2005 12:07 AMThank you for posting this.
It is sad though, because it is in exactly this nature that partisan governments also seem to exist. Democrats all teaming up on one side, Republicans on the other, divided, largely for political reasons unrelated to the actual situation itself. It's sad too because it breeds prejudice against anyone coming from an ulterior viewpoint. My entire college was so strongly prejudiced against Republicans (my school was about 2% Republican) that people would be willing to make their stance on an issue based on the fact that this one political party seemed to support it, so they then *knew* it must be wrong.
Arg. Annoying. Socialogically it is understandable that it happens though.
Yeah...this is a very interesting situation, Nas. I was thinking about it quite a bit with the whole "World Can't Wait" "movement" that was staged on November 2nd. People at my school were heavily involved (we're idealistic art students, remember) in the protest at Federal Plaza here in Chicago.
I was going to the bank that afternoon, when I walked past the Plaza, about an hour or so after the main protest had ended. It was a really sorry sight, to tell the truth. Hundreds of flyers on the ground, being trampled underfoot by business execs and bankers. A couple dozen policemen in riot gear stood blankly, staring at the last remaining protesters. And the kids--these protesters who sought to remove the Bush regime by gathering in Federal Plaza in solidarity with supposed thousands across the country--looked so sad. They looked like the proverbial wind had been taken from out their proverbial sails. They stood as if to say, "Is this it?"
This small experience made me to further understand the power of true change: unity and consultation. Sure, you can change things by protesting; by fighting; by resisting. But the true path to change is paved in wisdom, knowledge and patience.
Posted by: Andrew at November 14, 2005 10:20 AMGood point, Andrew.
And Nas: thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU for posting this. You've put into well-reasoned words why I have never identified with protesters and found their efforts to be largely futile, not to mention as horribly uninformed and biased as the people they're protesting against. It's great when you get counterprotesters, too, since it just exposes the antagonistic underbelly of the whole exercise.
We are kindred spirits, indeed. Huzzah for the rational, the well-informed, the independent, for those who reserve judgement! Hurray for not forcing your views on others, ill-conceived or no! Be strong, Nas. I stand with you, avoiding the extremes of either side of the spectrum and abstaining from the confrontational and dogmatic nature in which they express themselves.
Posted by: george at November 15, 2005 06:22 PMI'm proud to know you.
Posted by: Aaron at November 30, 2005 02:35 PM