2008 Woodie Awards
Military base protest misdirected, illogical
Irene Basa--Daily Bruin (U. California-Los Angeles)
Issue date: 2/12/03 Section: Opinion
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(U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES - As Americans, we take pride in the protests that sparked the beginning of our country's independence, such as the colonists' opposition to the British in the Boston Tea Party or other such contentions that have allowed America to reflect the ideals of a democratic society.
However, not all demonstrations are worthy of praise. The protest Seth Cohen participated in, which ultimately led to his arrest, is one of these protests.
The protest dealt with the School of the Americas, a U.S. military school that trained Latin American soldiers. Several graduates of this institution were responsible for human rights abuses in Latin America.
I do not hold anything against protests if they are staged for good reasons. However, there are sides to protests that no one really gets to hear. Like when the people that protesters are fight for say they do not want others fighting their battles for them.
I recall my friend who was angry about a protest staged at Cornell University. Students were protesting about the plight of migrant workers that pick tomatoes in the fields. I asked my friend what his feelings on the issue were and he replied, "If my mother was there she would tell them to mind their own damn business." His mother had been a migrant worker who had picked tomatoes and even worked alongside civil rights activist Cesar Chavez.
To some people, being defended by protesters, who may serve no outward relevance to the situation, is a bit of a disgrace. It may be even more degrading if the people fighting these fights were not born in the same decade as the matter at hand. I am not saying the El Salvadoran families who were affected by the SOA situation do not appreciate the protests or the protesters. However, as of yet I have not heard any El Salvadoran families expressing support for the Fort Benning protest.
My main reasoning for not supporting the protest is the fact the protesters were misdirecting their anger -- by about five hundred miles. They should not have taken their anger out on Fort Benning. If they truly wanted to have the government recognize the situation they should have marched on to Washington, D.C., and took up their cause with Congress, or whoever has the actual power to do anything about it. The protest staged at the Georgia fort is like someone yelling at a McDonalds worker for having a crappy intercom -- it isn't their fault.
However, not all demonstrations are worthy of praise. The protest Seth Cohen participated in, which ultimately led to his arrest, is one of these protests.
The protest dealt with the School of the Americas, a U.S. military school that trained Latin American soldiers. Several graduates of this institution were responsible for human rights abuses in Latin America.
I do not hold anything against protests if they are staged for good reasons. However, there are sides to protests that no one really gets to hear. Like when the people that protesters are fight for say they do not want others fighting their battles for them.
I recall my friend who was angry about a protest staged at Cornell University. Students were protesting about the plight of migrant workers that pick tomatoes in the fields. I asked my friend what his feelings on the issue were and he replied, "If my mother was there she would tell them to mind their own damn business." His mother had been a migrant worker who had picked tomatoes and even worked alongside civil rights activist Cesar Chavez.
To some people, being defended by protesters, who may serve no outward relevance to the situation, is a bit of a disgrace. It may be even more degrading if the people fighting these fights were not born in the same decade as the matter at hand. I am not saying the El Salvadoran families who were affected by the SOA situation do not appreciate the protests or the protesters. However, as of yet I have not heard any El Salvadoran families expressing support for the Fort Benning protest.
My main reasoning for not supporting the protest is the fact the protesters were misdirecting their anger -- by about five hundred miles. They should not have taken their anger out on Fort Benning. If they truly wanted to have the government recognize the situation they should have marched on to Washington, D.C., and took up their cause with Congress, or whoever has the actual power to do anything about it. The protest staged at the Georgia fort is like someone yelling at a McDonalds worker for having a crappy intercom -- it isn't their fault.