As I left a cardio-yoga class this evening, bagged yoga mat slung over one shoulder, I came across a fairly large crowd of people in the student union building. I'm not quite sure why, but my initial reaction was nervousness - this could be less than ideal, something could be wrong, this could disrupt the refreshing peace that had permeated my class-less day, etc. Perhaps it was partially thanks to the general vibe of annoyance and frustration that accompanies any line-waiting, or perhaps it was some subconscious reaction to activity that's kept the campus vaguely abuzz throughout the week.
Factor 1: Speech by Bill Ayers, as previously alluded to. Debate on and off campus about the wisdom or lack thereof of inviting him to speak about activism, announcements to "get there early so protesters don't take up the front seats!"... didn't turn out to be an issue, as the first several rows were reserved (not for protesters, though that'd have been interesting), and in fact the few "protesters" at the event included four or five students standing outside, passing out flyers regarding Ayers' past with Weather Underground or holding a poster about inviting a "terrorist" to campus. Great to see the dialog and students taking an interest, and more power to those students for expressing their views, but I do hope they took the time to actually listen to the man they were protesting (though I know none took part in the Q&A, during which he openly encouraged the audience to pose pointed questions). After all, how can you properly debate something if you don't take the time to understand your opposition and know what it is you're opposing?
Factor 2: Ayers was on campus as part of Dickinson's annual Public Affairs Symposium (PAS), this year themed - excellent timing too, eh? - on social activism. Beyond the speech, the symposium has included other events in the following days, particularly a "day of action," which certainly... enlivened... the student union building and nearby plaza. Students with signs advocating gay rights lying around the building as though dead, a "soap box" event to speak out, and the plaza criss-crossed with caution tape and folks protesting PA fracking, among other things. Great opportunity to be active and get your views out there, bring them into the public sphere, etc. Again, though, have to say - and this was on the minds of some at the Ayers speech, from what I can tell - there's a certain risk in being caught up in the grandiose idea of activism without truly thinking about why you're... well, being active. Brings to mind a comment I overheard while observing a pro-life protest in downtown DC last January. Fellow intern: "I want to protest something!" Me: "What do you want to protest?" Fellow intern: "I don't care, anything, I just want to protest!" So eager to feel a part of some grand revolutionary movement, she didn't even care what the movement was.
Similarly dangerous, I'd say again, is not taking the time to concern ourselves with the opposition. One of my friends on campus, for instance, being from central PA, has gained a more personal perspective on the fracking debate, and when accosted by a protester on the plaza, noted that, at least in her view, the fracking was keeping her community "financially afloat." The response, apparently? "That doesn't matter!" *pointed look from her* "...That didn't come out right..." Can't help but wonder if that student had gotten a bit too caught up in the chance to declare oneself an activist - so much so that he failed, if only momentarily, to fully consider the human aspect from all angles. Almost recalls a scene from the classic movie "Amistad," in which a man basically accuses a self-proclaimed abolitionist of racism. Contradictory? Not so much, if the trouble is that the fellow is not fully invested in his chosen "cause," if he supports the idea without fully understanding or supporting everything - and everyone - else involved in it. Caught up in one's own activism, in a way.
Thus, perhaps subconsciously, my vague unease when I came across the crowd of students. One can imagine, then, what a pleasant surprise it was to find that the cause of the gathering was not some grievous upset or complaint, but a table laden with cookies and staffed by a handful of young girls clad in green vests and sashes. Indeed, it's Girl Scout cookie season. Here at Dickinson, they hit a hotspot of hungry college kids (too bad they didn't wander into the library); when I was in DC last year, they'd set up horrendously enticing displays at the entrance of Metro stops. Talk about knowing what you're about, geesh. If these little ladies keep it up, I'm guessing they'll do well in the world.
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