The Sunday before Columbus Day a friend and I were walking across the Main Green when, out of the shadows, a horde of students materialized to our right. Bent over the sidewalk, they were tracing one another's bodies on the ground in front of Faunce to protest the popular omission of some less savory aspects of the upcoming holiday - namely the decimation of the Native American population brought about by Columbus' discovery of the New World. All I could do was roll my eyes and continue on my way to Dunkin' Donuts to take advantage of the evening special.
That Tuesday, while walking down the steps to the post office, I saw chalky accusations of murder and rape scrawled across the concrete pillars. Again, I was left to continue down to my mailbox to pick up second semester registration materials.
These "decorations" on the Main Green are a prime example of what I see as the biggest problem at Brown - righteous indignation. (Ironically enough, one could say that I'm righteously indignant at righteous indignation.) As if it weren't enough to attend what is arguably one of the most liberal universities in the country, virtually the entire student body engages at some point in some sort of antiestablishment rhetoric or action. Whether it's outlining faux corpses on the sidewalk, going on a hunger strike to protest the war in Iraq or attending protests decrying the Bush administration's antidrug policy, it's hard to find a student at Brown who's content to leave things as they are. Now, don't get me wrong - I agree that at least some of these causes are worthy (for instance, the hunger strike in support of victims of the genocide in Darfur), but there is a cult of protest that hangs over the entire campus and beyond.
My best theory as to why our University is such a hotbed for political activism and protest is that people who come here are looking for a way to assert themselves as adults while they still haven't fully matured - we don't have to worry about paying the electric bill or putting a warm meal on the table, we don't have children to feed, and I would venture a guess that the vast majority of people here have never held a real job in order to support themselves or others. Hell, a hefty chunk of us are here on our parents' dollar (thanks, Mom and Dad!). We really have little control over what the adult establishment does, so we make ourselves as rabidly antiestablishment as humanly possible. Because our situation would make just about anyone feel unimportant - even impotent - we make up for it in other ways. Unfortunately, people often take it too far and come off as naïve at best and completely insane at worst.
For those of you who disagree, I present a hypothetical portrait of a typical righteously indignant Brown student 15-odd years in the future. The Brown student wakes up early in the morning and relies on a strong pot of coffee to excite him or her about the day ahead. They spend their time at work wishing desperately to get home, where they can plop down on the couch with the broken spring and a strange stain on the armrest to read the New York Times while the TV is tuned to CNN in the background. They worry not about the imminent environmental crisis looming large over the nation, but instead about packing all 2.3 kids into the minivan and driving them to soccer practice without having to fill up on gas. They don't preoccupy themselves with the trade dispute between China and the United States over sweatshop labor, but they do think about buying a new suit at the Men's Big & Tall at the strip mall half a mile down the road (you know the one). They don't care a bit about Turkey's negotiations to join the E.U., but instead make themselves a mental note to leave a check out for Magda, the Moldovan woman who cleans their house every other Wednesday. They even vote Republican.
Grim? It all depends on your outlook. Except for the Eugene V. Debs or two among us (and, although some may not like to admit it, they are few and far between), most of us are someday going to end up joining the establishment that we so reviled during college. Thus, I urge you all to enjoy your activism while you can, before we all end up becoming what you have sworn to rally against.
Adam Cambier '09 is angry.
