Dave Gets Political

November 19, 2002 by David Blackman

Being a guy with long hair means that people usually assume something about me. Letting my freak flag fly means some people assume I'm a freak. Sometimes people assume that I'm a pothead (which I'm not, by any stretch of the imagination), but mostly people guess that I'm a liberal hippie sympathizer. And thats OK with me. I like to picture myself at the helm of a new revolution that picks up where my parents left off, this time combining a real political agenda with the money, power and pragmatism that their kids now have.

My dads new fear in life is that I'm going to end up spending seven years at Stanford getting a law degree and come out a legal aid lawyer. Hed be proud of me, but, well, the decade of tuition might be a little bit of a problem if I do everything pro bono. But I dont really think thatll happen. I have too much hope for a future where I make lots of money when I'm young, enough to make an early retirement and a cushy life a reality.

How disgustingly capitalistic of a goal is that? Its the American dream, and I think its what I want, but at the same time, wouldnt it be nice to spend my life as a poor idealistic fool, feeding people in Third World countries?

I get this feeling that because the 60s happened, our generation feels like we dont need to be radical for another few decades like they did everything that needed to be done. But thats not true by a long shot. How is it possible that we still dont have an equal rights amendment for women? Why is it that no state in the union allows gay marriages? How is it that we still treat marijuana possession like a crime against humanity, with stauncher penalties than for murderers, and hemp is treated like a plague upon our nation. Our body of laws isn't getting more liberal, theyre getting more restrictive. The USA Patriot Act scares me more than The Ring. And as a geek, I wonder how its possible that were watching our fair use rights be stripped away. But, at the same time, who the hell cares whether or not I'm allowed to watch a DVD when there are people dying around the world?

If I'm going to be spending my blood, sweat and tears on a good cause, shouldnt I be doing things of greater social importance? Not just protecting my already fairly cushy rights as an American citizen, but bringing freedoms to women worldwide?

Should I be attacking the World Trade Organization? Or should I ignore that and just worry about delivering pure drinking water to people who dont have it? And as an American, should I focus myself back home and worry more about those in Palo Alto living below the poverty line?

Isn't social inequity a mandatory part of capitalism? Wont we always need Deltas and Epsilons cleaning bathrooms and serving fast food? I'm too much of a cynic to ever call for socialism. I believe the human condition will never allow it to flourish. Were all too greedy and too lazy. But at the same time, something inside of me says its a human right for people to not need to struggle for survival. And that its a human duty to provide for the less fortunate.

Do I have any right to be eating a steak at a fancy restaurant? Do I have any right to own more than one computer? Do we have any right to be spending a small fortune being educated at Stanford? Should I drop out and convince my parents to take half the money they wouldve spent on tuition and donate it to charity and spend the other half supporting me while I wander around the globe in search of something good to do with my life?

Where to begin? Theres so much wrong here at home and so much in the world, and it overwhelms me to the point of paralysis. There are days I cant figure out how to start cleaning my room , so where do I start in my battle to solve all the worlds problem? Because I wont be content unless I can fix everything. Just a little isn't enough for me.

Or should I stop worrying about my fellow human beings and start worrying about my kids? I somehow expected that the whole pollution thing wouldve resolved itself by now. For some reason I had this naive belief that eventually the environmental situation would become too dire, and the world would stop fighting, and wed get together and stop burning down the rain forest. Yes, I really can be this idealistic sometimes. But the fact that we arent even acknowledging these problems makes me depressed enough to believe that theres no point in believing in them at all.

Before I decide to start solving any of the worlds problems, shouldnt I turn off all my computers, stop using paper towels and become a vegetarian? Arent I just spouting hypocrisy at the top of my lungs if I'm not willing to give up my luxuries for my ideals? Its not like I'm donating 80 percent of my income to charity I'm saving up for a new stereo system and maybe a car. Looking at my wants and my actions, I wonder if theres any self preservation instinct left in the human race?

Where to begin to attempt change? When do we stop consuming and start donating? I cant decide. Can you?

David Blackman is an undeclared freshman. Next week he promises to return to light-hearted freshman foibles. E-mail him at blackmad@stanford.edu with topic suggestions for next week.

David Blackman is an undeclared freshman. Next week he promises to return to light-hearted freshman foibles. E-mail him at blackmad@stanford.edu with topic suggestions for next week.