Students should join the fight to be heard

With protestors of corporate greed “occupying” numerous major cities nationwide and beyond, Americans have begun to exercise their freedom of speech and are expressing themselves more than they have in a long time.

The concern held by The Advocate is that many MHCC students are not exercising their rights to free speech nearly as much as they could be.

Last year, MHCC saw many of its own faculty exercising their right of freedom of speech during the contract negotiations, and although students were to be directly impacted by the results of the negotiations, there were few who even paid attention, let alone involved themselves with it.

There was only a select handful of students who demonstrated in favor of the teachers at the Main Mall last year.

Nonetheless, while only a dozen or so chose to voice their opinion, it was not hard to find students who were upset about the whole situation, whether they were in favor or not, yet so little chose to express their frustration.

It’s easy to complain, but when students have the opportunity to voice their opinions to the masses, and yet hardly choose to do so, it essentially demeans the opinions students are expressing among themselves.

Simply whining isn’t going to get students anywhere, and why would it?

Some may find it surprising but the founders of this country didn’t whine their way into creating a nation that offers free speech to its entire people; they fought tooth and nail for it.

Across the world, in Libya, Saudi Arabia and other places, young and old of all nationalities are risking their lives for freedom, a word we like to toss around here in the U.S., but seldom take advantage of.

If you choose to complain about something, but aren’t willing to put any effort into bringing about some change yourself, you not only come off as incompetent, you simply are not taken seriously.

Whether you agree or disagree with the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, you cannot deny the effect it has had not only in this country, with Portland having its own “occupy” demonstration downtown, but also worldwide, reaching all the way to Rome and other cities in Europe.

What started as an unorganized group of people in one city has sparked thousands to come to order in their own cities and move towards a common goal.

Now imagine if MHCC students were to do the same.

Imagine that instead of uselessly complaining to each other about the parking permits, tuition cost spikes, and 91,326 other things that students have to deal with, they came together and said enough is enough and created a plan to obtain a more efficient system that benefitted everyone.

No one will care to listen to one single dissenting opinion, but when hundreds or even thousands unify for one cause, those in power will have to listen.
But then again, maybe students are just too busy with school and too caught up in all the rush of life to pay any heed to what happens around them, even if it may impact their lives significantly.

Or maybe they’re just too lazy.

The Advocate offers a challenge for all students to become more active in the environment around them and hopes the next time they open their mouths in discord or opposition, it’s not in the comfort of their living room directed at a television, but addressed to the crowds out on campus and even online who may join them in the same cause.