On Sept. 17, 50,000 individuals participated in a protest in Manhattan and other cities. The name of the protest was the U.S. Day of Rage.
This protest was designed to address the abuse of power by the United States of America. Specifically, the abuse of the nation’s military power, which currently has bases in Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia and the Netherlands, was addressed, as well as other wasteful spending endeavors by Wall Street, which have led to a 9.1 percent “official” unemployment rate and an impecunious lower class.
This protest was not covered by MSNBC, CNN or Fox News.
Between Aug. 6 and Aug. 10, several violent riots occurred in England. A total of 3,443 crimes were recorded by its police forces.
The majority of the individuals participating in the riots were between the ages of twelve and thirty. Egregious sentences, such as six months for swearing at a police officer, were handed out. In England, the young have become the lower class.
Given the current rate of economic decline in the United States of America, there is a strong chance the number of 50,000 is set to increase and that the riots will soon take on the shape of those that occurred in England.
Slippery slope? I will not dispute the possibility. However, it is better to prepare for the worst than to be myopic. For an event with the sobriquet “Day of Rage”, the protestors were actually quite docile. They were also young.
Even on the Ohio University campus, college students have a difficult time finding jobs.
Though our voices are being silenced on the national stage by the “news” media monopoly — which is more interested in entertaining reality television that pits “bad boy” Rick Perry against “rich knight” Mitt Romney and “house-mom stereotype” Michelle Bachmann, while asking Barack Obama to show his birth certificate, than what is truly going on in this country — we can still make a difference in our community.
The Student Employee Commission would be a strong first step towards improving job opportunities for students on campus. The principle functions of the commission would be to publish a list of campus job openings, advertise employee-awareness issues and connect students with resources such as Career Services.
The link to Career Services is of the highest importance. As students take on labor positions on campus, they build the type of work ethic and character that potential employers are interested in.
It is the responsibility of the upperclassmen to create a better world for those that inherit our tradition. We can no longer afford to be taciturn.
David Boocock is a senior studying creative writing.
