When Pretenders lead singer Chrissie Hynde held a protest in support of animal rights outside the McDonald’s at 40th and Walnut streets last week, she wasn’t accompanied by a large crowd. In fact, the Facebook event for the protest lists only 12 attendees and 56 invitees. The low attendance shouldn’t come as a huge surprise since most Penn students — who make up a significant portion of the people who frequent that corner — are gone for the summer. But even if students had been around, it’s unlikely the number of either supporters or opponents would have been much higher, and we think that’s a shame.
We are glad the supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, chose to spend her afternoon standing up for her beliefs. And we would love to see more Penn students stand up for their beliefs. Penn students can often seem pretty apathetic. We care about our grades, our social lives and our careers. Protests — whether in favor of animal rights or any other cause — are a rare occurrence on campus, and when they happen, they are often instigated by outsiders to the Penn community.
Many students either don’t notice protests or complain that they impede their ability to speed down Locust Walk, study on College Green or get a burger at McDonald’s. Sure, occasionally a protest peaks the attention of a large group of students, like when the Westboro Baptist Church protested outside Hillel this semester. But for the most part, protests go unnoticed until one is led by someone remotely famous, like Hynde, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.
It shouldn’t take a minor celebrity to make students notice a protest. And we hope that when students return to campus, they look up from their studies and stop partying long enough to vocalize their own beliefs.
