Is there a conspiracy against everyone?

Ralph Waldo Emerson says that "[The voices we hear]... grow fain and inaudible as we enter the world. Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members" (21). Conspiracy is a strong word, and yet his point is strongly made. In class, I'm sure many people have had an experience where they've had an idea or an answer, but were too afraid to say it for fear that it is wrong. And maybe it's not being afraid to speak in class, maybe you've wanted to buy an outfit, but thought other people wouldn't like it. Everyone is guilty of this in some form or another, because of society, and New Trier's society is very guilty of this. You look down the hallways and masses of people are wearing very similar outfits, with very bags, listening on their iPods to very similar music. I'm not saying that I am innocent in this conformity, while I try to be myself I cannot say that I don't worry about what other people think, and while Emerson would scold me for this, it is true for most people. It is hard to be completely yourself in our society with so much judgement, but according to Emerson it is necessary. When we lose ourselves in conformity, it is hard to recover, but if we don't break away, we will be lost in the conspiracy against us all.

Is silence ever necessary?

In Self Reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson argues that people's opinions drown out in society's conformist views: "These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world" (21). This is true, many ideas are suppressed for fear of being wrong, and according to Emerson, this is shameful. While shame is a strong word to describe timidness, maybe he's on to something. In class, I'm sure most people have had experiences in which they had an answer or idea, but withheld it for fear that it was wrong or against the common belief. While Emerson speaks mostly of ideas being held back, sometimes it would be easier if we could censor some. Many times, as Emerson agrees, brilliant ideas can go unnoticed because of fear, and society could be improved with new, determined ideas. But when people with adamant ideas effect society for the worse, censorship seems almost like a good idea. I believe that freedom of expression is a large part of what this country stands on, and with this great privilege comes abuse of privilege.


"Cross burnings. Schoolchildren chanting "Assassinate Obama." Black figures hung from nooses. Racial epithets scrawled on homes and cars." This is the way in which Jesse Washington began his article in the Chicago Tribune, Barack Obama's Election Spurs 'Hundreds' of Racial Incidents Around the Country. Being able to burn a flag in front of the White House is a liberty that we as Americans have, but it can be taken too far. In Standish, Maine a sign in a general store read: "Osama Obama Shotgun Pool." Customers signed up to bet on a day in which they thought Obama would be assassinated, for $1. The sign continued: "Stabbing, shooting, roadside bombs, they all count." And the last statement was the most disgusting: "Let's hope someone wins." While hate crimes are punishable by a more severe sentence, nothing can be done against threats. When hate elevates to the point in which people are betting on an assassination, there is a problem. The worst part is that this disgusting behavior is legal under the first amendment. I wonder what Emerson's views would be on this matter. The problem with this extent of freedom, is that if someone says it, there will be others listening who are just as twisted. Given the right to say this and gather others who agree, it is easy to escalate to action, and Washington gives examples of how this is a reality. Some ideas should not be held back, and others should never be said.

Are we equal yet?

California was one of the few states in which gay marriages are legal, and although I believe this should be the case across the US, it is only going downhill. With Proposition 8 passed, chances of this country moving forward in tolerance is minimal. Now, I do understand the belief of marriage being between a man and a woman. It is said that heterosexuals reproduce, and therefore are "natural." But this cannot be the only factor determining peoples' lives. When I think of a relationship being natural, it is natural because a person is naturally attracted to another person, but what about those naturally attracted to the same sex? Reproduction making something "natural" should not make a difference, whether or not people are legally married they will still have the same relationships, so why not. If someone interprets the bible as saying that homosexuality is bad, it shouldn't matter: the church and state are separated in this country, and this should not even be an argument. The truth is there should be no argument, because the Declaration of Independence tells us that that "All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The pursuit of happiness for many people includes marriage, no matter what their sexual orientation.

Recently Barack Obama was elected president and it seemed that we were finally making a real difference in our equality, the first black man was elected president. At the same time that we move forward with the elimination of racism, we are moving backwards with gay rights. The picture above is from a protest against proposition 8 (they were held all over the country). The man holds a sign saying that we all are one, but are we treated like that? Too recently, blacks and women could not vote. Were we equal then? What about when schools and public places were separate yet equal, are we all one then? And are we all one when people only have the right to marriage based on their sexual orientation? How can the government say that we are all equal, we are all one, when there is still so much discrimination? If our country's government can truly preach that we are all equal under the Declaration of Independence, passing this bill is complete hypocrisy. So basically I have to ask those opposed to homosexual marriage one thing: why do you care? If you don't approve of gay marriages, don't get one, but let those who it actually effects have the same rights to marriage as you do. All people want marriage for the same reasons, and your sexual preference should not matter. If we are all equal under the law, shouldn't we have the same rights without discrimination as well? With this bill being passed, we need the government to prove that we are all equal.

a fake id to vote?

I was watching some tv today and a commercial stood out to me: character from the show "Greek" were wearing shirts that read "vote," and they were all saying how important it is to vote (specifically younger adults, new voters). The characters from the show are using their status to inspire young adults to vote, hoping that people who like the show will follow their example. And this is a good thing, because lately it seems as if the best way to capture peoples' opinions on important social issues is to make it a new trend. Recently the cool thing to do was to go green. And you could do this by actually recycling (even though it is better to buy less in the first place), buying eco-friendly clothes bags and more. Besides doing this, numerous businesses made it the mainstream idea. From t-shirt stores, where none of the profit goes to one of the many go green orginazations, people are buying shirts, bags, shoes, buttons, and other accesories with catchy slogans about going green. Now, you can buy the same products incouraging people to vote (in general or for a specific candidate). While it is good that these trends get people to vote or involved with a good cause, but shouldn't we want to vote because it is a priveledge that we get that can change the course of our country for life? Shouldn't we protect the environment becasue it effects every single person on our planet? Even if this isn't the reason, I guees the ends can justify the means. A scene from the movie the breakfast club sets a good example for young people today: Brian explains that he knows having a fake id that says he's 68 is bad, but he took that risk to vote. What if everyone wanted to vote that badly and everyone who could did? He got a fake id so he could vote, what will everyone else do?