Activism

[Wyllt 0]

<<SNIP>>

 

(I don't want to offend by the use of "you" in the following part - I'm using "you" with a general meaning instead of "you, Wyllt")

 

If you're judging who may participate in a protest at all, I believe you should rather judge by that person's knowledge about the issue rather than the age.

An example from a current issue in my state: The state's government is planning to re-structure the educational system because the PISA studies showed, that our pupils and students are quite --excuse my language-- dumb for the so-called western world.

Among the changes planned to enable us to score well in the next PISA study are:

* graduating from high school after 12 instead of 13 years

* have centralised graduation tests in the entire state (in the long term in entire Germany) instead of individual graduation tests handed in by the school and approved by the school's authorities; therefore:

* teaching all students in the entire state the same thing so they can all handle the graduation test, which has to be as unspecific as possible so even those students who did not spent all their years in high school learning from the curriculum can score well

* 2 instead of 3 lessons per week in most subjects

* replace subjects like Arts, Music, Religions and other subjects which can't be used in most jobs by Economics or a third lesson in another subject (see point above)

 

so whom would you allow to protest against these changes and for the current system of comparatively free education and who would be prohibited to protest against this?

The students from Lower Saxony's schools and their parents, teachers who don't think these changes are what we need or someone who would have to take a break from his job to participate in this protest and probably did not even take some time to think about the consequences of these changes?

 

(and no, I don't want to discuss these changes here. If one of you people thinks this should be discussed: PM me and I will open a thread on this topic)

 

No one should be an activist just for the sake of "coolness", [...]

After I attacked your position, I'd like to give you an example of where we share one position (though I don't mind people who didn't spend much time thinking about an issue participating in an demonstration just to increase the number of people who've been there )

133226[/snapback]

Don't worry about offending me, I don't offend easily ...

 

Seriously, don't get me wrong, I am NOT judging people for attending protests, I am saying that it should be fairly low on the scale of things to do for/against an issue. There are so many protests lately, and so few of the protesters really know what is being done for/against the issue they are protesting in government or in the real world. I applaud those who are true activists and who are working using multiple methods to reach thier goal, both activly (with protests etc) and passively (through thier government). I do believe that a well worded and signed petition goes alot further than a protest for 9 out of 10 incidents.

 

Next I never said he should never attend a protest at his age. I just said his parents should not WANT him attending a protest, especially if it is not one they are willing to attend (a parent should never be forced to attend a protest because thier child believes in an issue, a parent should allow the child to have thier own views on issues, but not change thiers just to please a child, a child must learn that others can have differing views then thier own). If the original poster feels strongly enough about an issue, perhaps he could bring the issue to his parents and encourage THIER attendance at a protest, then perhaps they would be willing to bring him along.

[SuburbanalCuts 0]

aginst, against, against ... I wonder why people are always against something but never tell the world what they are acting for. Did you know that most CEOs say that they're against sweat shops, corporate greed, discrimination and animal cruelty as well?

Once there are protests against their companies having contracts with sweatshop owners, they usually close down that factory just to re-open it in another Free Trade/Export Production Zone. There are more than enough countries with free trade zones to keep on switching contractors to publicly announce that they've moved their production from, for example, India to Pakistan, China, Thailand, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia, the Phillipines, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, etc etc - and when they come back to the country they started in, no one remembers that they've moved from there a few years ago and most people keep on buying their stuff because "they just closed a factory where they exploited young women" and most of the times don't even know that the factory did not even belong to that company...

(I don't want to offend by the use of "you" in the following part - I'm using "you" with a general meaning instead of "you, Wyllt")

 

If you're judging who may participate in a protest at all, I believe you should rather judge by that person's knowledge about the issue rather than the age.

An example from a current issue in my state: The state's government is planning to re-structure the educational system because the PISA studies showed, that our pupils and students are quite --excuse my language-- dumb for the so-called western world.

Among the changes planned to enable us to score well in the next PISA study are:

* graduating from high school after 12 instead of 13 years

* have centralised graduation tests in the entire state (in the long term in entire Germany) instead of individual graduation tests handed in by the school and approved by the school's authorities; therefore:

* teaching all students in the entire state the same thing so they can all handle the graduation test, which has to be as unspecific as possible so even those students who did not spent all their years in high school learning from the curriculum can score well

* 2 instead of 3 lessons per week in most subjects

* replace subjects like Arts, Music, Religions and other subjects which can't be used in most jobs by Economics or a third lesson in another subject (see point above)

 

so whom would you allow to protest against these changes and for the current system of comparatively free education and who would be prohibited to protest against this?

The students from Lower Saxony's schools and their parents, teachers who don't think these changes are what we need or someone who would have to take a break from his job to participate in this protest and probably did not even take some time to think about the consequences of these changes?

 

(and no, I don't want to discuss these changes here. If one of you people thinks this should be discussed: PM me and I will open a thread on this topic)

 

No one should be an activist just for the sake of "coolness", [...]

After I attacked your position, I'd like to give you an example of where we share one position (though I don't mind people who didn't spend much time thinking about an issue participating in an demonstration just to increase the number of people who've been there )

133226[/snapback]

i suppose your right. I shouldn't really be against anything. Kind of negative and shtuff.

 

I'd guess i'd be FOR equal rights, worker's rights, you know homie?

 

let me just get this straight by the way. I'm not going to just scream at people for no reason and yell stupid slogans, etc. It would be like a ghandi sort of protest, u know homie?

[SuburbanalCuts 0]

I couldnt figure out how to edit my post so I just want to to say thanks brainless/wyltt for dah advice.

[brainless 0]

wyllt: I hoped you would clarify your position in a way like this. Before my parents allowed me to attend my first demonstration, they acted as if they were totally against what the protest was for and forced me to talk the whole issue over with them. After we were done with the talking my mom told me she was glad I knew what I was about to do and not just being an action tourist :(sub: yelling slogans can be fun, too but you should not be afraid to keep your mouth shut when someone starts yelling a slogan which you don't like, if necessary: make up an answer and start yelling that...

[Peaktao 0]

Hey,I knew what the word meant, so don't worry! You are not using a word that doesn't exist. I think I would be an activist for something I strongly believe in.And...I have shown signs of being one...Basically, I usually fight for my rights and what I am entitled for. Certainly, if something concerns someone else (but I believe in its cause) then I would fight for it too...just for the sake of justice...and fairness.