COLUMN: Being strong, being active

From Alex Gino's, "My Cleverly Titled Column," Fall '98 From Alex Gino's, "My Cleverly Titled Column," Fall '98Last spring, the Penn administration considered outsourcing Dining Services to an external company. As an active member of the Penn community, I was upset that this decision -- which would primarily affect students and staff -- was being made solely by the administration. In my efforts to push for more pluralistic decision-making before any such drastic change, I met with two prevalent negative responses from undergraduates. Activists are often called hypocritical for various reasons. I was told that I was not attacking important enough of an issue in Penn outsourcing. At Saint Benedict College in Minnesota, students protesting homelessness by sleeping in makeshift cardboard shelters were berated for using blankets instead of getting the "real" homeless experience. One participant said an angry observer "looked like she'd only be satisfied if we stood outside and got soaked in the freezing rain." There is also a common perception that a person must be entirely knowledgeable about an activist cause before becoming involved, and must plan every moment of his or her life with all ideals toward this one goal in mind. People also say an activist must also choose the most important issue of the time as her or his cause. Paul Loeb, author of Generation at the Crossroads, has titled this belief the "Perfect Standard." This notion is quite dangerous because perfection is an abstraction that cannot be reached. If no one can be perfect, how can anyone ever pass the test of the Perfect Standard to be able to practice activism? The Perfect Standard forces us to maintain the status quo because we can do nothing without being unsure. It never calls for questioning the present situation. Sometimes, I think advocates of the Perfect Standard were weaned off of Sesame Street too early. Big Bird, Oscar and the rest spent years telling us that no one is perfect, and yet, we tend to forget that daily. Even though we are just human, we need to improve our world. Just as there is no "perfect activist," there is no "perfect issue." If one waits for it -- that single issue that rings true to the very toes of his or her being, the one that will do pure good for all without any risk of problems -- one will end up spending her or his entire life waiting, not actually doing anything. Activism does not work as a hierarchy in which issues can be classified by order of urgency. There are many issues that deserve attention and we cannot wait to approach most of them until one or two are completely solved. The issues may never be solved, and if they are, other issues may have grown too grave to be mended. It is the responsibility of each individual to determine what issue provokes enough interest to warrant involvement in a movement. People will not effectively work on the noblest of issues if it does not personally interest them. It is very easy to see what is "wrong" with any action. It is much harder to do something about it. And yes, there are many issues to fight. As we read this, the United States is considering beginning another war against Iraq to dictate that country's behavior while condoning the militaristic regime in Burma by refusing to institute sanctions against a major violator of human rights. A corrupt government reigns in Nigeria, selling out its people to Shell Oil. Tibet, ruled by China, and East Timor, ruled by Indonesia, are struggling for independence. Nationally, police brutality, pumped by rampant racism in our country, passes by largely ignored. Mumia Abu-Jamal, a grassroots activist, is presently on death row. His latest request for an appeal was denied despite evidence that he did not commit the murder of a police officer. For example, his gun does not match the bullet found in the cop. The gap between the rich and the poor is wider than it has ever been and is growing. One percent of the people in this country own as much as the bottom 90 percent combined. At the same time, welfare has been cut dramatically. The environment, for example, is an issue that should transcend borders. One would imagine that we would all work together toward a healthier planet. However, International Monetary Fund rules do not permit any country borrowing from its reserves to have any environmental laws, as they would restrict business and make it take longer for the country to pay back its loan. Thinking closer to home? Penn Police officers are able make arrests even though the department is ultimately responsible not to elected officials but to a private organization which is partial to certain citizens (Penn affiliates) in the area. And while Penn works hard to bring students of color here to study, these students are more likely than their peers to drop out. Yet Penn has not adequately met students' demands that more be done to remedy this situation. If more students joined the effort toward minority retention, perhaps they could effect change. These and many other issues plague our world, but are generally ignored because people are not aware of them. This is no different than in the beginning of the '60s. It took the work of a few dedicated souls to bring issues to the forefront and to persuade people to care about them. The '60s were not a time completely foreign from our own. Many issues are brewing and people are fighting against them. The tactics themselves may have changed, but the push toward change is still there. Hopefully, the nation will soon once again wake up and make great strides toward a better world.