Karina Gonzalez
“Stop eco-terrorism!” “Get out of Iraq and stay out of Iran!” “Impeach Bush!” “Don’t eat bananas, Dole kills babies in Mexico!” “Fight for women’s rights in Africa!” “Stop bad military recruitment practices!” “Don’t buy products from China!” “Save the habitat of the three-legged Canadian kangaroo cousins!”
OK, so maybe that last one isn’t true, but making fun of anything Canadian is inherently amusing and judging from the glut of causes to support at the recent Los Angeles so-called anti-war protests, I’m sure you could have found someone to champion it.
Before I start ranting, let me clear something up: I am a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat.
I can suspend my political leanings when I report on something, and I can certainly see the appeal of the Republican agenda to many Americans – but I believe in social government, in helping the poor and in acceptance of all ethnicities.
Having said that, the level to which we don’t have an agenda is devastating. The protesters last week represented every demographic in the liberal-leaning melting pot: ecologists, peace protesters, women’s rights groups and anarchists, and not one of them seemed to see that whether they were protesting peacefully or advocating a militant overthrow of the government, they were still killing their own cause.
Pundits on Fox News (don’t even get me started…) seem to be radiating with glee over the current state of affairs, with Barack Obama squeaking by in the lead for the Democratic presidential nomination and Hillary Clinton digging in her heels (or in her case, probably flats), declaring that she will keep going right up to the convention if necessary.
But really, why is anyone surprised that the party is split between two nominees? We can’t focus on one thing long enough to actually make a war protest about the WAR!
I know that what I’m saying isn’t revolutionary.
It’s kind of been default policy of the DNC to accept anyone and everyone who is willing to listen since its inception.
Still, with record numbers of youth turning out to vote in this election, it’s time to rectify the long-standing practice of orchestrating our own implosion.
Really. I’m not disparaging the causes. Most of them are worth rallying around. But getting celebrities to make a CD to support something doesn’t really mean that you’re helping to eradicate a problem.
You’re just showing that the issue is important enough to attract the attention of the vapid, TMZ-up-to-the-minute fast-paced entertainment-news cycle.
We have proven that as an age group, we are not a demographic to be politically ignored any longer. The Democratic race – and by turn the entire presidential election – will be looking to us to make a point.
I’m begging. Please, think before you get so angry that you vote for Ralph Nader or Ron Paul or some other candidate who will put together a campaign that has no chance of winning.
Think before you go to a Darfur rally asking us to end a war in another country, while at the same time wearing a “Get out of Iraq” T-shirt. You can’t ask your country to stop participating in one foreign war so that it can get in the middle of another one. Lack of sense and silly contradictions like this will only ensure that no change at all ever happens.
And for God’s sake, if you’re going to protest a war, don’t try to go and bring back the Save the Spotted Owl campaign.
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