Age of Revolution
Arick Ames
Opinion Editor
“Repression will provoke rebellion” -Hugh Williamson
Best known for being a signatory on the U.S. Constitution, Williamson is a perfect example of what it means to be courageous and stand up for what one believes in. Voyaging to a new world to escape from the British tyranny to start a completely new government was an open act of rebellion. It kick started a new country and defined what it meant to be free.
But how many of us now a days actually feel “free”? Obviously everyone has their own opinion and right to think differently about certain political views.
However, I think it is safe to say that this generation today has had enough. The older, more traditional ways of handling situations just isn’t working for us, and we have had no trouble showing them how we feel. I’m sure all of us at some point have rebelled to a certain extent. It’s inevitable that any teenager or younger adult was rambunctious at some point in his or her life. The generations before us have done the same thing when they were young. They were trying to make a change and live the way they wanted. You can open up any history book and see that from the beginning of time, people were always fighting for something. Martin Luther King and his fight against segregation, 1920s with prohibition, all the way back to Native Americans trying to protect their land from white settlers.
That’s what rebellion is: a form of change. Without it the world would
n’t keep developing in new ways.
This doesn’t just happen on a local scale; it is also happening nationally and worldwide. For years America has struggled with the middle-east and terrorism. America has tried both fighting terrorists as well as providing aid for its citizens.
As of right now, it is mass chaos in Gaza. Genocide and destruction has literally taken over their country. Russia is also falling apart.
The United States is no exception either. All over the news there is violence and the death of innocent people. Every time someone turns on the T.V. or looks on their phone, they see the same things. The media is trying to get those people’s stories out there. The way citizens are getting treated just isn’t cutting it anymore.
Probably the most important topic at this moment that we Americans are worried about is the Ferguson Riots. Ferguson, Missouri, a town of about 21,000 people, has been through hell and back. Law enforcement have taken certain precautions to control the riot outbreaks.
The debate is whether they are taking the right precautions. And honestly, I believe they have not. Firing rubber bullets, tear gas and who knows what at residents and journalists on the streets and in their homes is not acceptable. There were also a few deaths, believe it or not, that will most likely go unjustified. Police officers involved in these riots should handle the situation in a much more professional manner.
A main cause of this riot is racism. African-American males have been specifically targeted. The earliest story on this prolonged battle is most likely Trayvon Martin, and with Michael Brown in Ferguson. Since their deaths, similar attacks have skyrocketed. Guilty or not, they are attacked and treated as problems before they’re treated as humans with basic rights. Most don’t even get a chance to explain themselves, to the Ferguson police and sometimes society.
This might sound cheesy, but we as a generation could be the ones to change these problems. I know, you’re probably thinking, “What does this have to do with me?” or “Why should I care?” Well, like everyone else, we are humans. Last time I checked, I don’t think any of us would want to be murdered and dumped on some road for all to see. No one wants to have to get shot at or scared by the people who should protect and serve. Being seen as less than others should upset any rational people, so be aware and try to help out as much as you can.
That is basic human decency.
Something in the system must have gone terribly wrong if instead fighting to protect the freedom we already thought we had, has turned into fighting to get it back.
Respecting the law can be hard sometimes when we don’t have respectable laws and respectable people enforcing them. Lets show people that we are rebels with a cause and stop rasicm for good this time. For more information about the Ferguson and Gaza riots, visit the links below. http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21613272-police-missouri-suburb-demonstrate-how-not-quell-riot-overkill
http://abcnews.go.com/International/israel-gaza-conflict/story?id=24552237
