Tables and drums

Well before I became a college student, I was told by multiple parties that
the University of Oregon was well known for its political, social and cultural activism. As Week of Welcome approached, I braced myself for the onslaught of petitions, mailing lists and free candy that would inevitably come my way.

Little did I know that the incessant tabling would not cease -- or even lose momentum -- with the beginning of the school year. A month into the school year, just in time for Homecoming and Family Weekend, groups solicited supporters for causes ranging from ending domestic violence to helping save Darfur. Legitimate reasons to spend five minutes on the way to class meandering through the tables, if for no other reason than to simply find out what's going on in the world outside Eugene, outside Oregon, outside the United States.

But tabling is not the only method students use to try to gain support. A couple of weeks ago, while walking back to my dorm room to grab some lunch before my next class, I heard the sound of banging drums. A group of students were trying to show solidarity for the Jena Six, the group of young African American high school students initially charged with attempted murder in the beating of a white student after nooses were hung from a tree.

It wasn't the cause they were fighting for that irritated me. Nor was it the loud drums and shouts. No, what struck a nerve was the fact that these students seemed to be doing nothing but complaining about a group's plight. Not a bad thing in and of itself, but helping a group of people also involves actually getting off your ass and doing something.

Protesting and picketing seems to be an effective starting point for raising awareness of an idea. But if the protestors have no plan to take further action, then they are not truly "fighting" for a cause. They're just making a bunch of noise. And noise eventually disappears into the air until it can no longer be heard.

And if no one hears you "making a difference," are you really making a difference?