This is a Friendly Revolution.
And Aunt Rowan wants YOU! to help. Here's an idea; write a polite paragraph about what it is about the system you dislike, print it out, and put it up around the school. Would it catch on? I have no idea. I think it would be cool to try, though. A quiet rebellion, because no one listens to words that are shouted.
I resent your rules and your constrictions. I feel I am adult enough to be responsible for my own actions. I do not want to bring a note home to be signed, like I am some child; if I miss a class, I do it out of my own free will, for my own reasons. I accept responsibility for my own education; to take advantage of the benefits provided towards my education, or to not do so. I want the right to miss a class when I need to miss a class. I want the right to suffer the consequences of my choices. I politely reject your system.
I disagree with your social classifications and your stereotypes. I want to be free to be friends with whoever I want, no matter how they dress or act. I want to be accepted for who I am, not my hobbies or my clothing choices. I don't care if you play video games in your basement all day, or if you party every night. Maybe you do both. It doesn't matter. The only people I want to exclude are the ones who are exclusive. The only ones I'll judge are the ones who are judgmental. I politely reject your system.
I refuse to believe in your workaholic ideals. I will not waste my time working towards future happiness, when I can be happy now; I will not waste my childhood. I will not stress myself over grades - I will not work myself to death, so I can get into school and work some more. I will not buy into this cycle of endless misery. I will enjoy every second of my life, and I will not do anything I am not passionate about. I will not take classes I hate so I can get into some fancy school. I will work as hard as any, but only in was that make me happy. I politely reject your system.
Anyways... maybe I'll forget about it in a few hours when I have to wake up for school. Maybe you'll see these written around the school. Who knows?
During our society's history we've seen moves towards the equality of races and sexes, even (arguably) classes. Maybe what parental figures are calling a disrespectful generation also hints of a rebellion against oppressions suffered by youth? Surely there are those of us who are seemingly incapable of making sound decisions, but these actions have their inspirations, and their sources. As we've seen with some of the most elementary and primitive schools of thought, those who create the flawed system refuse to take responsibility, or simply do not understand their role. In order to gain support (power) by any medium, these individuals or institutions exploit the prejudices, compromised minds and morals of the masses. They shed the blame, to the Jews, to the immigrants, to the Muslims, blacks, whites? This action is inalienable from the ignorant and manipulated populous' need for and entitlement to superiority. "You are inferior to me, therefore you are my utility." It is truly an archaic way of thinking, by which humans should be ashamed to identify. Current psychological and social trends portray youth as incompetent and irresponsible, yet they also declare that we are even more susceptible to the influences of our environment than adults. Raising children from birth not with entitlement to reward, but entitlement to respect; would it create a generation plagued by arrogance and self-centeredness? Or..(how dare we) would it produce the generation most aware of their basic rights, aware of their own development, and an active participant and leader in their emotional, intellectual, and physical development. Guiding and care are of course essential elements of parenthood, but perhaps it's time our society ceased to regard children as objects of possession, much as it has had so much trouble doing the same for women.
ReplyDeleteI believe that our generation is going to lead a revolution. There is far too much flawed with the current system - in North America specifically, I'm not in a position to talk about other countries until I do some learning. Perhaps we are arrogant and self-centered, but a little bit of that is healthy - and there's nothing self-centered about demanding a better system for ALL people. I'm so proud to be a member of today's society, flawed as it may be, because we are constantly working towards a greater, more open-minded and successful future.
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