The Michigan Daily - Orientation Edition 2006 -13
The merits of raising hell
MARA GAY CsMMION SEEs
t was the see-saw,
I think, that finally
broke this camel's
back. It has been decades
since campus has seen
mass protests and sit-ins,
hallmarks of 1960s Ann
Arbor that helped make
the University into one
of the loudest and proud-
est bastions of progress in
the nation.
Today's University, however, is no longer the
site of such activism; there have been few acts of
courage and resolve in the face of adversity and
indifference. Instead, the Diag - once a stage
for serious social revolution - has become
a three-ring circus, featuring failed attempts
at creating change that often do nothing more
than mock the important causes they are meant
to champion while turning more ridiculous and
embarrassing by the hour.
BAMN's rally against the Michigan Civil Rights
Initiative quickly degenerates into a bizarre kind
of counterproductive chaos, a screaming match of
sorts. Unlucky members of various organizations
stand in the cold and shove fliers into the hands
of students who would rather carry on to class or
Espresso Royale undisturbed by the world's prob-
lems. Late-night vigils are held for Rosa Parks
and Iris Chang, two courageous Americans who
would be better honored by actions that effectively
advance the causes and principles to which they
dedicated their lives. And then there is the see-
saw. Sorority sisters, camped out in the center of
it all, asking passerbys for donations as they ride a
see-saw up and down for hours on end.
Make no mistake, there remains plenty to be
outraged about. More than 40 years after vic-
tory was declared in the fight for civil rights and
equality for women, we have come to see that
the struggle is far from over. It has been, after
all, nearly five years since the politics of fear and
greed overcame the nation. In today's Michigan,
women earn only 67 cents for every dollar men
earn in the workplace. Reproductive freedom is
once again in doubt. Though blacks account for
almost 20 percent of the college-aged popula-
tion, they account for only 7 percent of this year's
freshman class. And tuition continues to soar,
pricing students out of a better future.
The apathy of a generation loathe to act in the
face of obvious injustices and blatant affronts to
the very principles this country was founded on
is no new news. It is the shocking lack of indigna-
tion that has empowered the dark, dark days of
the last five years. It is the silent acceptance of a
society where certain individuals hold second-
class citizenship, where an American life is worth
more than any other, women's rights are a debat-
able uncertainty, and the environment is nothing
more than an oil field ripe for exploitation.
But this year's fall semester began with a string
of racial controversies and will likely end with the
unfortunate visit of Fred Phelps, the anti-homo-
sexual crusader who created the website, www.
godhatesfags.com. It is clear now that we can no
longer ignore the complacency that has become so
endemic on this campus.
We can no longer appease our nagging con-
sciences by calling our collective silence "sad,"
"terrible" or even "a shame." These are foolish,
fruitless rationalizations that prevent us from mov-
ing forward. The truth is that our inaction is some-
thing far more sinister - the explicit endorsement
of whatever injustice we fail to protest.
Activism may have a long and storied past
at the University, but today, it has significant
obstacles to overcome. Most of us, for example,
are just too comfortable to rock the boat. More
than 60 percent of students on this campus come
from families that make more than $100,000 a
year, a stunning statistic in a state with the high-
est unemployment rate in the nation. It is dif-
ficult to imagine the ravages of joblessness and
desperation from an ivory tower buttressed with
so much wealth and privilege.
The racial segregation so deeply embedded on
this campus offers a false sense of comfort that
makes it extraordinarily difficult to form effec-
tive coalitions that can create real change. The
vast gulf between races and cultures has created
a University where tension and intolerance have
trumped understanding and respect; open dia-
logues and collective action seem more a pipe
dream than a tangible goal.
But while these obstacles often seem as though
they are impenetrable, impossible challenges
to overcome, they are only empowered by our
silence. They are rendered insignificant when we
channel our indignation and our outrage, our pas-
sion and our compassion, and we act.
On Oct. 14, 1960, President Kennedy stood on
the steps of the Union and first announced the
Peace Corps. "This University is not maintained
by its alumni, or by the state, merely to help its
graduates have an economic advantage in the life
struggle. There is certainly a greater purpose, and
I'm sure you recognize it," Kennedy said.
The majority of the see-sawers are good people
volunteering their time to raise money for a chari-
table cause. But this campus is capable of so much
more. We must act on our outrage. The Roger
Phelpses and MCRIs of the world do not need to
recruit the ill-intentioned to do their work. The
most they can hope is that decent citizens will
stand by and do nothing at all. They are banking
on the silence of you and me.
- Nov. 17, 2005
Gay is a member of the Daily's
editorial board. She can be reached at
maracl@umich.edu.
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KATIE GARLINGHOUSE Ik
Feb. 20, 2006
u- f
~ <,.
NOTABLE
QUOTABLE
Cheney is a
terrorist. He terrorizes
our enemies abroad
and innocent citizens
here at home
indiscriminately."
- Feb. 20, 2006
Actor Alec Baldwin, blogging at
the Huffington Post.