Civil Rights
So, we're up to the 1960s in my AP United States history class. The Civil Rights movement. We've watched videos of the things that happened back then, the brutality of the KKK, the bravery of young folks--black and white--who dared to stand up to them. We listened to MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech in class today. I found myself annotating the speech as we listened to it (we had printed copies in front of us) as I would for AP English (as in, I analyzed language techniques like anaphora, metaphor, allusions, etc).

I'm not sure if it's because my nerves are so raw right now, or if the recordings are just that emotional, but I've wanted to cry at some of the stuff I've seen.

See, I get fired up about civil rights causes. I cheer every time another state passes legislation supporting GLBT rights. I speak out against discrimination of all kinds, wherever I see it. I do everything in my power. When I turn 18, I'm marching down to City Hall to register to vote, so that I have more power as a citizen of this country, state, and city.

And then there's my brother. He asked me incredulously one day why I don't get upset about the war going on. I'm not sure, honestly. But I think it goes something like this: I don't personally know anyone affected by the war, the war is "over there" not over here, and I've basically grown up with it. I was 10 when 9/11 happened.

What I do feel strongly about is a friend who cried when watching Schindler's List because he had done a research paper on homosexuals in WWII and knew that they were treated just as badly as the Jews were. I feel strongly about good, loving, caring people denied the right to civil marriage because the majority of people voting think that such a union is unholy, disgusting, or forbidden. I feel strongly about people having to hide who and what they are, for fear that they will be fired from their jobs, ostracized in their schools, or shunned in their communities. I feel strongly about people being looked at with fear or loathing because they are not Christian. I feel strongly about people making a cross with their fingers to ward off "evil" when another student, wearing a pentagram, enters the room.  I feel strongly, in short, about the civil rights of all not just the priviledged majority.

Who is my brother to say that I should be more fired up about a "war action" that has lasted for the last nine years? Shouldn't change start at home? Who is my brother--or anyone, for that matter--to say that the things that I feel passionately about are not valid, just because he doesn't think that they are important.

And as a slightly related tangent, who is my brother to marginalize my opinion because he believes differently? Or to disregard the facts that I share, because I'm not him? I might be overexaggerating. I don't know. My nerves, as I said, are raw enough that little things bother me more than they should. But he aggravates me because he does not care to listen to other people. And don't get him started on one topic that pisses him off, because he'll then talk about everything that's wrong in the world as he sees it, and propose that if he were just in charge, he could do it better.

Now I may be naive, or brainwashed, or what-have-you, but I have to ask: How can I, you, or anyone who is not an experienced politician, economist, lawyer, or other highly trained professional even begin to believe that we know better than those who do have the training for these kind of situations. I can cite historical precedents. But I couldn't tell you what the hell a lot of the economic terms used these days mean. Or how to fix the problems.

Have a nice day.