Political activism is good. In fact, it’s way better than residents of Chapel Hill could possibly understand. And we are snubbing it.
It’s a familiar scene to most students: protesters along Franklin Street of all types regularly showcase a range of political or otherwise public goals.
And students regularly keep walking, hardly acknowledging the existence of the activists. A rude comment isn’t unfamiliar.
Consider a recent example of activism. For roughly a week, protesters stood outside the Chapel Hill post office and expressed their opinion of U.S. attacks in Syria. Members of the group reported being treated as if they were invisible, like students actively did not want them there.
Two aspects of this situation are striking to me. First is that activists exist in Chapel Hill in the first place. We are privileged to have a population that is tuned-in to the world at large and that cares enough to have an opinion.
The second aspect is the more shocking of the two. If you happened to pass by the protesters, you probably noticed that they were old. At a time when the iconic image of activists is college students, these people are a testament to the encompassing culture of global awareness present in Chapel Hill.
There’s something you should know about me. I’m from a small town in Alabama. This activism is foreign to me. It would be hard to find more than a few people there that know enough about the Syrian conflict to craft an opinion on the issue, much less be willing to advocate it.
I would also venture to say that a culture of political activism like we have in Chapel Hill is foreign to a large proportion of Chapel Hill students.
Being a part of a knowledgeable atmosphere is a privilege. Activists are so commonplace that students forget to contextualize protesters as part of the Chapel Hill bubble.
Maybe you sometimes have to know the absence of a culture to appreciate the value of its presence.
