The Triangle

Issue date: 7/3/09 Section: Ed-Op

With this turmoil going on in one of the oldest civilizations on our planet, many Americans have been outraged by this display of injustice and disregard for democracy. The one question that comes to mind is: why does the world feel so strongly about this? Some believe that America cannot afford to help anyone when we are in our own state of recession, war and political transition with our new president. However, I feel that the very essence and spirit that America was founded on was this ideal of freedom. No matter how clouded and distorted this image has become, it is ingrained into the image of every American that resides in its borders. This urge and ability leads us to understand that people should have the right to choose whatever life they want to lead and live it in peace. Seeing how the Iranian people may have been ripped from their chance at change and reform angers the inner freedom fighter inside all of us. I think of the 2006 movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" in which Will Smith's character is talking about a quote by Thomas Jefferson, who, while writing the Declaration of Independence, referred to the English as "the disturbers of our harmony," how this formulation of words can resonate generations after it was written and still hold true. How the foundations of our nation are based on a desire to be able to experience tranquility and harmony for all people. I think that the participation of the American youth in the rest of the world has been a long time coming. We could feel that people wanted to join the movement in the '60s with Vietnam, and the '80s with Live Aid, and we have followed suit with the social phenomenon of Live 8, the Go Red movements, Feed the Children, AIDS Foundations and so on. I think that with all of the factions around us to help, along with the technology, we feel it would be a shame not to stand up and notice it. This Iranian movement, even being called the "Green Revolution" was spread even further along the highways of Facebook and Twitter with people changing their backgrounds and profile pictures to the color green. I am not sure why we as humans are compelled to help those in need, whether it is a compassion that we are born with or the Judeo-Christian values of "do a good deed to get into heaven." Whichever reason it is, I feel that the subject of our compassion is always changing due to the flavor of the month, but the true roots of our love of the world and the people in it runs deeper than time itself.



Madison Shelton is a senior majoring in anthropology. She can be reached at op-ed@thetriangle.org.

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