Just What Are We Afraid Of?
An exploration of our fears as a society to advocate for our rights and concerns.
Marty Martello asks some important questions about speaking out on topics that affect our quality of life.(Marquette Magazine photo by Soullenz Photography)
Marquette, MI – Marty Martello asks important questions about why we have become an apathetic society reluctant to engage in speaking and debating important subjects that affect the quality of life for us, our children, and our grandchildren. It seems in most cases people are afraid to have open honest discussions let alone to take action. Just What Are We Afraid Of?
I was raised in a time of social and political activism. My mother was
at Western College helping to organize the Freedom Riders before they
headed south. We had lively discussions of political events. We watched
the body counts from Viet Nam on the nightly newscasts in horror. We went to
sit-ins and anti-war protests in Chicago. We went to Democratic rallys. We were
raised to be color blind and accepting. We met Jesse Jackson and
helped with Operation Breadbasket. We were LGBT friendly. I published an
“underground” newspaper in high school. And we were proud of the
fact that we could disagree with each other, but still exchange ideas and remain
friends. We were loud and proud, to steal a catch phrase. And many people were.
What happened? Why are we as a society so afraid to speak up now? Just
what are we afraid of?
In this age of social media, this time where we have hundreds of
“friends” on facebook, we could each reach so many people with our opinions
much easier than going door to door, stuffing envelopes, or making endless
phone calls. The Obama campaign certainly proved the power of the social
networks. We aren’t limited by physical printing presses or corporately
held media. We can be heard…if we choose to be. So why don’t we?
What are we afraid of? Do we fear repercussions? Afraid that our social
circle will shrink? That someone might “unfriend us” on facebook? Has the
mass media homogenized our outlook so much that we are afraid if our
opinion isn’t in line with the norm? Are we afraid of honest debate?
Confrontation? The attention that we might garner if we speak out?
What keeps us from being the active beings that we once were?
What are the repercussions if you speak up? Is your house going to
be fire bombed? Are you going to be shunned? Will you be pilloried in
the town square? Not likely. Might you get an angry phone call or two?
Lose a friend over your opinion? Maybe. Could you get unwanted
attention from peers or the media? Yes, but isn’t that partly why you are trying to
be heard? If you are passionate about what you believe you should be
willing to risk the fallout of stating or arguing your stance. I have lost
friends over some of my more radical views. I’ve blocked or unfriended some
that I could no longer tolerate or reason with, those I couldn’t even agree
to disagree with. So did I actually lose anything of value?
Graffitti art depicting the sentiments that ignoring what’s going on and remaining silent is equivelant to death.
Is it the actual confrontation that scares us off? The thrill of a
spirited debate far outweighs any negatives. The intellectual
challenge of parsing out an opinion with another passionate partisan is an
enjoyable brain game. Why pay companies that promote brain teasers and puzzles
to sharpen your mind? Conversing or arguing will do the same thing, and
you will actually be interacting with a real live human. There is always
the potential for things to escalate, for emotions to overtake reason.
Part of the challenge is to channel your passion but temper your emotions.
Argue your position logically and with reason. Find your voice. You
might feel energized and engaged by the experience. You might get angry or
frustrated. You may end up not speaking to someone for a time. Or
maybe never again, if the positions are polar enough. Is that so bad?
Thinning the herd on moral or political grounds is not a terrible thing.
Do we really believe that our obligation to take part in the world
around us ends in the voting booth? That electing our officials and voting
on a millage request every year or so is all we have to contribute to the
political process? That elected politicians are capable of doing their
jobs in a vacuum? Have we devolved into nothing more than the sheep
in Orwell’s “1984?”
Do we trust that once we have voted for some person that they will magically do what we think is right or just? Have we forgotten that all politicians have their own agendas as well as ours? Or that most of our elected representatives don’t reflect our views completely? Often they are just the lesser of two evils. They still need input to get it right. They need your input. And mine.
I’m not saying that you have to be a fire-eyed radical. You don’t
have to carry a protest sign or organize a rally. You don’t have to lie
down in front of a bulldozer or stare down a tank in Tien a Min Square. I am
saying that you have nothing to fear about having an opinion.
Talking about them. Admitting that the world isn’t perfect. While we live
in a seemingly idyllic place, even Marquette has warts. The only way that
they will be removed is if citizens stand up and point them out. Let
people know that you are aware of the issues. If you want to take it
further, please do. Text people. Phone people. Publish. Broadcast. Use
social media to its fullest. But the first step is to stop being afraid of
speaking up.
I’m the first to admit that I am not as politically active or
socially aware as I was in the past. I let a lot of the fire in my belly die
down, banking the coals for some future time or issue. I often get angry
when listening to Fox News bloviate. I chuckle at the far left too. I
have opinions. I share them. I lose friends over them. Some of my views
can be considered extreme. But I have them. And I share them. And I am
not afraid.
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