Activist Influenza: West Nile Don't Have Shit
As quantifiable evidence that HeadyGooBalls is the definitive inspiration of a generation, college campuses across the nation have exploded in fits of activism. Last week I wrote a post titled "Creative Loafing" - outlining a few student movements taking place to raise wages of university employees. It was read by millions and envied by thousands. This week has seen an astronomical rise in the amount of activism on university campuses. Is it trendy? Radical chic if you will?
- On Wednesday, students at Emerson College in MA rallied in support of the faculty union.
- The next day students at Amherst marched to promote a plan that would make all public colleges tuition-free.
- 24 hours later students at BC marched for the gay rights of gay students and gayer employees.
- Schools all over California (including Berkeley, Santa Cruz and San Jose State) protested rising tuition fees.
- Ivy League TAs at Yale and Columbia held plutonic hands in an effort to unionize their quasi-profession.
Couple all of these with the protests mentioned in my previous post and we are looking at a legitimate movement out of a generation denoted for its apathy and incredible video game dexterity. A Boston Globe article describes this phenomenom:
Their causes are more diverse than the tightly focused agendas of past generations, specialists said, and their goals may be more modest changing a campus or neighborhood instead of the world.
The funny thing is that these hippies are winning. Harvard has sold off its investments with a company that does business in Sudan after student outrage. Kids at Georgetown won toiletcleaners a bunch of new and improved contracts. A hunger-strike at Wash U. in St. Louis just ended after the Chancellor came around on employee rights.
It is unclear what to make of this stuff. I watch it from the window of the most apathetic school in the nation - Tulane - where booze silences all consciouses. But if online poker is considered activism, then I must add our institution to the list.
- On Wednesday, students at Emerson College in MA rallied in support of the faculty union.
- The next day students at Amherst marched to promote a plan that would make all public colleges tuition-free.
- 24 hours later students at BC marched for the gay rights of gay students and gayer employees.
- Schools all over California (including Berkeley, Santa Cruz and San Jose State) protested rising tuition fees.
- Ivy League TAs at Yale and Columbia held plutonic hands in an effort to unionize their quasi-profession.
Couple all of these with the protests mentioned in my previous post and we are looking at a legitimate movement out of a generation denoted for its apathy and incredible video game dexterity. A Boston Globe article describes this phenomenom:
Their causes are more diverse than the tightly focused agendas of past generations, specialists said, and their goals may be more modest changing a campus or neighborhood instead of the world.
The funny thing is that these hippies are winning. Harvard has sold off its investments with a company that does business in Sudan after student outrage. Kids at Georgetown won toiletcleaners a bunch of new and improved contracts. A hunger-strike at Wash U. in St. Louis just ended after the Chancellor came around on employee rights.
It is unclear what to make of this stuff. I watch it from the window of the most apathetic school in the nation - Tulane - where booze silences all consciouses. But if online poker is considered activism, then I must add our institution to the list.
posted by Ian at 12:46 PM
1 Comments:
Well done IAN!!!! just yesterday I told a gay kid that "queering don't make the world work". you are truly and inspiration
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