I guess I can't complain. Four weeks of peace on this campus is a lot to ask. I overestimated the maturity of my peers, and I was sadly mistaken. Luckily for me, I went home on Thursday. Like an unnecessary sequel to an already horrible movie, Friday's protests on College Green were reminiscent of last spring's meaningless protests by a group of zealous students (some of whom I am sure had no idea what was going on).
However, although I would be hard-pressed to find the time (much less an inkling of desire) to storm Cutler Hall
I do understand my peers. As a generation, we are bored out of our minds and mad as ever that we are growing up in a century without any real problems. Our ancestors (of all races) participated in mass protests, sit-ins, walk-outs and the like for the many freedoms that we enjoy today. However, instead of enjoying the fruit of their labor, we are sick of it. We are green with envy that we don't have to fight like they did, and we are bored with our privileges. This mix of boredom, anger and jealousy culminates into the protests on College Green. Given that we can't go back, a small group of students, clearly, have nothing else to do except go through every Administrator's press release to find something, anything to disagree with. Then they organize protests pretending to represent the student body as a whole. (Though in reality, most of the student body, if asked about Friday's protests, will say What protests?)
Not only are we bored, but we are extremely self-important. Individuals claim to represent an entire student body. Individuals demand a say in how the university runs. It will be interesting to see how these select students expect the university to please everyone. That won't be seen because these students don't expect the university to please everyone, only to respond to whatever demands they arbitrarily decide are top priority. The weird thing? These demands change at whim. One moment we are protesting against administration; the next moment we are protesting against one another; pretty soon we will grab a mirror and protest against ourselves. When women fought for the right to vote in the 1900s, they fought for the right to vote; they didn't switch to something else every day. Why? Because it would have looked like they didn't want to vote at all but instead just wanted to complain about everything G? and that is precisely what is going on here. This isn't a movement, this is a mess.
The messiest element is our culture of disrespect. Our generation doesn't know how to get what we want without name-calling, curse words and threats. If the needs are that serious, then they speak for themselves and there is no reason to take protesting to the next level of disrespecting earned authority. These administrators (including the chief of police) are not our peers and should not be treated as such. Disagreeing with them is tolerable, but cursing and yelling at them is completely out of line. This is an institution of higher learning. We know how to communicate effectively. Yes, we are smart. Yes, we see things from a different (and sometimes better) point-of-view. Yes, some of our complaints are legitimate, and we shouldn't be afraid to question authority. But, no, it's not right to impose our personal wants and wills on an entire university.
Besides, what are we protesting now? The right to protest? Protest what? The fact that we can't protest wherever we want? Still, protest what wherever we want? It's a circle, and it's ridiculous. Free speech zones maintain order, and I can't see a problem with that. Besides, it seems that no matter what decision this administration makes, this small group of students is going to disagree. So, after a while, why should anyone even care? When the other students are losing interest in a student movement it is not a movement at all; it's background noise.
I understand that change can be extremely hard. But, ultimately, Ohio University administrators want to make this university a better place for you, me and future students. So next time we're bored, instead of causing an unnecessary ruckus Uptown by trying to recreate the 19th century, I think we should appreciate the peaceful atmosphere and consider the words of Epicurus: Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. But maybe it's just me.
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Alissa Griffith
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