Go Green. Save Darfur. Stop Global Warning.
These are slogans that have entered our daily lives.
We cannot drive through traffic without seeing a clever lines plastered on the bumpers of some beat up Honda.
There isn’t a store in the mall that doesn’t have its own Inspi(red) slogan screen printed on shirts made by Ethiopian children (don’t forget all profits go to charity).
The sad part is we feel that buying these stickers, shirts, magnets are really making a difference.
Even the peace sign has made its way into the trendy fashion world.
People wear it on their ears, necks, chests, pants, underwear, socks, shoes, it’s everywhere.
The peace sign is another example of our generation’s pathetic attempt to be active.
We think that by simply using these slogans we are making a difference.
We are all willing to buy the shirt, but not the work gloves. What happened to the spirit of the ’60s?
Those hippies impacted America. They protested, not only in their home towns, but on Washington.
They collectively ended wars and removed crooked politicians by using the voice that was bestowed upon them by the Revolutionist of 1776.
In the past eight years we had a president with lower approval ratings than tricky Dick Nixon, who graciously left the White House after being exposed for being a crook. The people, then, acted against Nixon and his shady administration.
What did we do against Bush, nothing! There was no overwhelming mob at the gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, shouting for impeachment.
We let him manhandle our country on every issue we held dear.
The environment was raped. The economy was ram sacked.
And any good standing we had with foreign leaders was destroyed to oblivion.
We have evolved into a group of half-assed citizens.
We are convinced that these protest slogans absolve all of our sins.
I have seen people with “Go Green” stuck on their vehicles, drive to class from the dorms.
I have witnessed Save The Earth supporters throw trash on the ground.
How often do we flood our congressman’s mailbox with letters to end genocide?
Even on a local level, how often do we take the initiative to plant trees, pick up trash, or donate our time selflessly to better our own community?
It’s because the rebellious youth has become a profitable commodity. The corporations know how lazy we are.
As long as they keep pumping out t-shirts, we will keep wearing them, naively thinking that it makes a difference.
We have to stop thinking that money is going to change the world or make a difference.
We have to learn to act!
From something as small as picking up trash to marching on Washington, we have to get our bodies involved in our community, in our world.
With the sky falling around us, now is not the time to be a lame duck generation.
It is our job to be the generation that changes the future of our community, country, and world.
So, forget the slogans and monetary attempts to be charitable, because soon the dollar won’t mean anything anyways.
We have to take our future in our own hands.
No one else is going to look out for our interests unless it is us.