guys... don't do it.
There are a lot of people talking about leaving America is Obama doesn't win-- I see that attitude as being potentially dangerous to a lot of us, and to the world. I'm not necessarily sayin that running away is an act cowardice, but merely that we are a group of people who are largely scared, and feel like we have little agency.
I would argue that this is only true if we don't stick together. We ought to be sticking out necks out for each other, instead of tucking tail, and planning for the border of some other place, where the grass just Has to be greener... right? But what if its not? What if we all become e-patriots, and then realize that there’s no other place in the world for people with our kind of socialization? Furthermore, who will make sure that the United States doesn't turn around, and fuck over the country that you are trying to live? What kind of difference will you be able to make then?
If everybody with the power to make real change, who would normally fight for what they believe in gets up and walks away, who will be here to make things better for the people who don't have the power to help themselves? Will we leave the lesser minds to deal with the larger picture of things, because we felt disaffected and jaded before we even step into the so-called real world?
In a lot of ways, I believe that people with the kind of education that we have gotten have a moral responsibility to look out for the oppressed. What good is learning about power and its utilization, if we walk away, and pretend that we are useless to stop it? We need to not only look out for ourselves, our families, our friends, and our communities-- we've got to make sure that we don't fuck up the world. If we all leave, there will be no one left to fight, and believe me when I say it-- if we all leave, there won't be anyone to protect the world from America.
Sure, it gets depressing at times. Things are starting to look down. The idea that Palin could become president is terrifying... but just remember, the media is now everywhere, and it has been pointing out all of the shit in the world... all of the absurdities of the world.
But people, things aren't really that bad. (at least not yet-- and I honestly don't believe that they will get much worse.) Things have always been chaotic, the difference is now we can communicate that chaos to each other quicker than ever, and in more detail than you can imagine. And thats a bit scary-- a bit overwhelming at times. Just keep in mind, that the people writing fear into our lives do so because it makes a lot of money. When things we better, the media will still tell us that something urgent, scary and important is happening... so we have to make sure that we don't let the small stuff get to us. Things look awful right now-- but at the same time, I believe that things would get worse for everyone if pack out bags, and walk away.
Obviously, I'm not saying that there aren't legitimate problems facing the world; and i'm not saying that the US hasn't done some fucked up shit in the past. There are problems, the us is ridiculous, but we need to stand up and fight them, not give up before we begin the game. On one side, we have been taught that if you put your mind to it, you can do anything. On the other side of the isle, we came to college, and learned that life isn't simple, and largely i've seen us become unresponsive, jaded, and unhappy. But don't forget, that people can and do make a difference. Not all differences need be institutional changes. But these changes happen only when we strive for betterment; only when we fight. In order to fight, we need resist the urge to let our interests fade into oblivion. We need to not be jaded-- not just yet. Not for a long time. We've got our whole lives ahead of us to consider that possibility.
I really think that the very first thing to do, This year, is make some kind of pact with each other. That we will try to stay in touch with each other. That we will look out for each other, and try to promote the success of each other. As we are all finding out the hard way, we are in an extremely competitive world-- so lets make sure that we get together, and make it work. Lets not separate (and i'm not talking geographically). Lets make sure to go out of our ways to talk to each other after we graduate. And lets make sure that we find a way to do it now. Before we go in out separate directions. Lets, at the VERY LEAST, get together contact lists before we part, with information about where we live, phone numbers, etc. And make sure that we update them whenever things change. Lets not let the community that we've built over the last few years fade into oblivion. I believe that this community has been one of the most important things to happen to me, and I would loathe to see it disintegrate with time.
I know a lot of people that plan on dedicating their life and their careers to make the world a better place.(that why I like you people) So I propose that we do whatever we can to see each other succeed whenever we can. Networks are power. A network based around friendship, of people who happen to be ideologically similar in their life's goal, would be ridiculously useful-- for each other, and for the world.
And to top it off-- please make sure to take a breath. Let yourself have a little fun. Do something silly, and quit taking things so serious... I mean really... Why so serious? Lets go to the bay, and watch a sunset. Blow some bubbles. Engender some community. And allow ourselves to be in the proper mindset to actually make some worthwhile changes.
I've been considering writing this for a long time, and i finally just decided to start writing, and see where this would end up. Its ridiculously optimistic, I know, but i've seen so many people lose hope. I've seen a lot of people have taken look at the bigger picture, and realized that they did not know where to begin. But we don't always have to know exactly where to begin, as long as we begin. We're usually smart people-- i'm sure we'll get close.
I guess a lot of the optimism that I have re-developed came from reading a debate between Noam Chomsky and Foucault-- Foucault being depressing, with his large notions of undefined omnipresent inescapable power, and Chomsky who argued that the world needs a little magic. That people need to see the world as it should be, so we can work towards that vision. And I think that the world as it should be has to be based on optimism, not pessimism. Pessimism, in a final analysis, is too easy. Its good for making excuses. At the end of the day, pessimism doesn't get shit done. I'm not saying that optimism isn't usually based on being naive, because I realize that it is, but I have also come to the conclusion that naivity gets shit done.
I would argue that this is only true if we don't stick together. We ought to be sticking out necks out for each other, instead of tucking tail, and planning for the border of some other place, where the grass just Has to be greener... right? But what if its not? What if we all become e-patriots, and then realize that there’s no other place in the world for people with our kind of socialization? Furthermore, who will make sure that the United States doesn't turn around, and fuck over the country that you are trying to live? What kind of difference will you be able to make then?
If everybody with the power to make real change, who would normally fight for what they believe in gets up and walks away, who will be here to make things better for the people who don't have the power to help themselves? Will we leave the lesser minds to deal with the larger picture of things, because we felt disaffected and jaded before we even step into the so-called real world?
In a lot of ways, I believe that people with the kind of education that we have gotten have a moral responsibility to look out for the oppressed. What good is learning about power and its utilization, if we walk away, and pretend that we are useless to stop it? We need to not only look out for ourselves, our families, our friends, and our communities-- we've got to make sure that we don't fuck up the world. If we all leave, there will be no one left to fight, and believe me when I say it-- if we all leave, there won't be anyone to protect the world from America.
Sure, it gets depressing at times. Things are starting to look down. The idea that Palin could become president is terrifying... but just remember, the media is now everywhere, and it has been pointing out all of the shit in the world... all of the absurdities of the world.
But people, things aren't really that bad. (at least not yet-- and I honestly don't believe that they will get much worse.) Things have always been chaotic, the difference is now we can communicate that chaos to each other quicker than ever, and in more detail than you can imagine. And thats a bit scary-- a bit overwhelming at times. Just keep in mind, that the people writing fear into our lives do so because it makes a lot of money. When things we better, the media will still tell us that something urgent, scary and important is happening... so we have to make sure that we don't let the small stuff get to us. Things look awful right now-- but at the same time, I believe that things would get worse for everyone if pack out bags, and walk away.
Obviously, I'm not saying that there aren't legitimate problems facing the world; and i'm not saying that the US hasn't done some fucked up shit in the past. There are problems, the us is ridiculous, but we need to stand up and fight them, not give up before we begin the game. On one side, we have been taught that if you put your mind to it, you can do anything. On the other side of the isle, we came to college, and learned that life isn't simple, and largely i've seen us become unresponsive, jaded, and unhappy. But don't forget, that people can and do make a difference. Not all differences need be institutional changes. But these changes happen only when we strive for betterment; only when we fight. In order to fight, we need resist the urge to let our interests fade into oblivion. We need to not be jaded-- not just yet. Not for a long time. We've got our whole lives ahead of us to consider that possibility.
I really think that the very first thing to do, This year, is make some kind of pact with each other. That we will try to stay in touch with each other. That we will look out for each other, and try to promote the success of each other. As we are all finding out the hard way, we are in an extremely competitive world-- so lets make sure that we get together, and make it work. Lets not separate (and i'm not talking geographically). Lets make sure to go out of our ways to talk to each other after we graduate. And lets make sure that we find a way to do it now. Before we go in out separate directions. Lets, at the VERY LEAST, get together contact lists before we part, with information about where we live, phone numbers, etc. And make sure that we update them whenever things change. Lets not let the community that we've built over the last few years fade into oblivion. I believe that this community has been one of the most important things to happen to me, and I would loathe to see it disintegrate with time.
I know a lot of people that plan on dedicating their life and their careers to make the world a better place.(that why I like you people) So I propose that we do whatever we can to see each other succeed whenever we can. Networks are power. A network based around friendship, of people who happen to be ideologically similar in their life's goal, would be ridiculously useful-- for each other, and for the world.
And to top it off-- please make sure to take a breath. Let yourself have a little fun. Do something silly, and quit taking things so serious... I mean really... Why so serious? Lets go to the bay, and watch a sunset. Blow some bubbles. Engender some community. And allow ourselves to be in the proper mindset to actually make some worthwhile changes.
I've been considering writing this for a long time, and i finally just decided to start writing, and see where this would end up. Its ridiculously optimistic, I know, but i've seen so many people lose hope. I've seen a lot of people have taken look at the bigger picture, and realized that they did not know where to begin. But we don't always have to know exactly where to begin, as long as we begin. We're usually smart people-- i'm sure we'll get close.
I guess a lot of the optimism that I have re-developed came from reading a debate between Noam Chomsky and Foucault-- Foucault being depressing, with his large notions of undefined omnipresent inescapable power, and Chomsky who argued that the world needs a little magic. That people need to see the world as it should be, so we can work towards that vision. And I think that the world as it should be has to be based on optimism, not pessimism. Pessimism, in a final analysis, is too easy. Its good for making excuses. At the end of the day, pessimism doesn't get shit done. I'm not saying that optimism isn't usually based on being naive, because I realize that it is, but I have also come to the conclusion that naivity gets shit done.