Many years ago, I learned a lesson concerning the power of control that authorities possess. It was during my final year of college when I was doing my student teaching at a high school in Denver. We were studying about the rise of fascism in Germany prior to WW2. One of the students asked why people didn’t object to what was happening. Why didn’t people say anything? As we talked, one brave young man declared: “I would have said something. I’m not afraid.” I asked him if he was sure? If I was the one in charge and something wrong was happening, would he object? He insisted he would speak. Then a couple of others said that they would also speak up.
So I promptly kicked the ringleader out of class. I told him to go wait in the principal’s office. After he left the classroom, I berated him in front of the other students for a few moments. Then I asked if there were any of the rest of them who wanted to disagree with me. Not a peep. They were thoroughly cowed. I then had the office send the young man back to our classroom and we discussed how people in positions of authority can intimidate and control others. Granted, I was an inexperienced student teacher trying to make a point on the spur of the moment, but I’ll never forget how easy it was for an authority figure to silence the opposition. At this moment in history, we have a responsibility to speak up. When those in positions of leadership mislead us, take inappropriate actions, or participate in illegal activities, we dare not remain silent. When authorities attempt to muzzle the press and limit the free speech of citizens, we dare not deign to do nothing. In many regards, we are at a crossroads of democracy for our republic. The concentration of wealth and power into fewer and fewer hands has increased, and many people feel disenfranchised and powerless. But we are still able to take action. We can still speak up, even though we may pay a price for making our voices heard. Those in authority may try to silence those who object and bully them into submission. Those who don’t know better may encourage us to be quiet and respect those in leadership. When those in leadership demonstrate virtues such as wisdom and compassion we can respect them. But if they show the attributes of oppression, greed, and tyranny, then we can show them the same kind of attitude our forebears had for the tyranny of the colonial empire that controlled them. We can resist. If we fail to do so, we fail in our civic responsibility. We will fail as a nation. We will not fail as a nation, if our leaders fail. We will fail as a nation, if we fail to speak out. (Explanation of the Symbol) The Resistor is a historical symbol for solidarity and peaceful dissent. You might also remember using the squiggly line in the RESIST Symbol when drawing Resistors in physics class; it's a universal standard symbol seen in electrical circuit diagrams. We hope that the RESIST symbol will serve as a daily reminder to be vigilant and to RESIST any attacks on democracy or the progress we have made as a society.
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I write this essay with my former students in mind. Your generation is being given much to deal with by my generation. I hope you remember some of the conversations and lessons we had in our history classes together. Today, I ask you to recall some of the discussions we had about nationalism.
The last few years have seen a surge of nationalism in our country. It is this rise in nationalism that you must deal with. I believe that in the days and years to come, your actions will be instrumental in the survival of our society. You must help your fellow citizens understand the difference between patriotism and nationalism. Having studied and learned with you, I know that you are patriots. You have a love and devotion to our country. I also know that you learned how patriotism can turn into a destructive form of nationalism. Nationalism is a feeling of being proud of your country, often with the belief that it is superior and more important than other countries. These feelings of nationalism can lead to fear, hatred, and hurtful actions toward those who are different --- from other nations, and from within our own nation. You were fortunate, in our small school, to have several classmates each year from other nations come and live in our community and study in our school. In them, you experienced their patriotism (the love and devotion they had for their cultures and countries), and you experienced their appreciation and respect for our people and nation. The experiences you had with these people from other lands has given you the opportunity to learn that people of other lands, religions, and backgrounds represent a world filled with diversity and positivity. As our nation struggles with an outbreak of extreme nationalism, I ask you to be a patriot. Certainly take pride in the values and principles that our nation ascribes to, but don’t allow that loyalty turn into fear, hatred, and oppression of others. I have no doubt that you are encountering people who are giving voice to prejudice and suspicion of people of other lands, as well as segments of our own population. Now is the time for the true patriot to reject the falsehoods of racial supremacy, bigotry toward others, and politics of power and exclusion. The choice is one for you and your generation. Will you be patriots, or nationalists? The future of our nation will rise or fall depending upon your choice. |
Time for Common Sense AgainCommon sense commmentary by Joel Kreger (unless noted and credited to a guest writer) Archives
November 2018
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