"They revolted because they deserved better"

In a recent New York Times article reference is made to the driving force behind the youth involvement in the revolutions happening throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The author of this article speaks to the ideals and concerns of a new generation of Libyans, quoting one man in particular: 


“People here didn’t revolt because they were hungry, because they wanted power or for religious reasons or something,” said Abdel-Rahman al-Dihami, a young man from Benghazi who had spent days at the front. “They revolted because they deserve better.”


This offers clear insight into what drives social change. The desire for societal improvement is powerful, and when youth find themselves being forced to follow in the footsteps of their parents and grandparents they are inclined to fight against the norm, against what they are being forced into, for the purpose of obtaining something better. While the case of revolution in the Middle East is more obvious, this was the same driving forced behind the student revolutions of 1960's/1970's America. Students revolting did not want to live a life of segregation, Army drafts, race wars, etc. They saw what their parent's went through, what their parents existed for, and they were eager to make their lives different. And they were willing to do so by force. 

The Power of Symbolic Action in Revolution

Upon learning that Osama Bin Laden has been killed after nearly a decade of persecution, one of my first thoughts was how powerful such a simple occurrence would be. Death occurs in war often without notice, but the shooting of Osama Bin Landen is so much more than a war death. That is because of the symbolism attached to the act. While in reality this shooting only ended the life of someone who helped harm America in a very serious way some years ago, to thousands of Americans this shooting is the end of an era. It symbolizes justice, retribution, payback, and so much more. 

The role is symbolic action in influencing a nation of people is incredibly interesting, especially within the context of youth revolt. In particular, think of the many video clips and photos of mobs of young people tearing down statues of their oppressors, taking a symbolic swipe at the power that individual holds. On a more peaceful level, student resistance often uses symbolic action to make their stand. In the states students last month took a vow of silence for 25 hours in order to show solidarity against child abuse in the U.S. 

While symbolic actions against an entity, trend, or movement do not usually result directly in social change, what they achieve is exposure and often a rapid-fire expansion of support and enthusiasm for the cause. I saw this first hand this week, when many of my most apathetic of friends were inspired by a surge of patriotism at the death of Osama Bin Laden. This same method is often found in cases of student resistance and revolution. From wearing symbolic clothing to their school or university to attract attention to their cause, to physically causing the destruction of something like a building, person, or statue in order to show the seriousness of their devotion to change while also garnering attention, support, and exposure. 

Interesting insight into American student activism through the ages...

As if Ms. Sipel was writing in response to my previous blog post, a recent article on student activism over the past century emerged adding insight to my research. While this article is not long, it was inspiring. I have taken an external/international approach to looking for activism from college students because I (somewhat unjustifiably) have this notion that my generation, my fellow American students, have abandoned student activism in the physical form. Like many of the members of our senior generations, I look at the what students do today in the U.S. as being inferior to the strides made by the student activists of the 1960s. But I was wrong to assume that college students use little more than blogs, facebook, and other forms of social media to shed light onto their issues of concern.

In this article the author brought me back to reality. American students have not lost their rebellious and vocal tendencies. This article address the forms of activism taken by students in California who are protesting the drastic budget cuts being made that are currently impacting the University of California system of higher education. Like their brethren in Yemen, angry and frustrated students who see their futures being negatively impacted by a governing body are literally taking to the streets. As can be seen in this photographic evidence, the youth of California are following in the footsteps laid out just over 40 years ago. While this account of the protests does take a very biased approach, it still excites me to realize that student activism pertaining to higher learning is still within close proximity.

As I continue my research I hope to compare the driving force behind these movements in relation to those in the Middle East. In my introductory approach, it seems that access to advancement is all these students ask for. And when they are not only not given that access, but are actively pushed further and further from it, they are completely capable of taking a stand, risking their health, risking their standing in the current society, and risking their general wellbeing in order to fight for a change of the system. This demand for personal freedom quickly grows into a fight for overall change in government action and societal tendencies. Students are trained to question authority, they are taught the ideals of freedom and intellect, and it is this enlightenment that makes them such a powerful and vocal catalyst for changes in society.

(a video of the highway protest can be seen here. Ignore the silly music, please)

Is the world 50 years behind in activism?

When researching or studying any movement of student activism or protest, it is difficult to not automatically think of the 1960's in America. As an undergraduate historian, I was always very interested in the culture of the 1960's and 1970's and how the youth of that period was one of the most passionate public powers of force that we have seen in our history.

This tumultuous time period always struck home because my mother was actually somewhat a part of it. As a fresh, young face at San Jacinto State my mother got swept into protests and other forms of activism related to women's rights and the end of female oppression. She laughs about her experiences now (including getting teargassed!) but there is still a glimmer of pride in her eye as she talks about the ways in which she and her associates took a stand.

So let's fast forward to now. As more and more youth are taking a stand across the world to end government oppression, I am reminded of those who fought "the man" in 1960's America. It easy to compare the two, to discuss how Egyptian youth put to use the same tactics as their predecessors the freedom fighters. In Yemen and Libya, youth activism has taken a very violent and frightening turn, much in the way it did at Kent State. But where there are easy opportunities for obvious comparison, it is important to realize the importance of setting and time. While American youth appear to be taking activism deeper into the grid of electronic communication and social media, it appears the rest of the world is sticking to powerful methods of physical activism movements.

I find this deviation fascinating, and I look forward to researching more on how this difference has occurred and where it appears to be taking our youth in upcoming decades.

Student Led Revolts

Let me preface this entry with some quick background information. My fiance is Libyan and his father's family was essentially forced from their country once Gaddafi took power. Needless to say, this is a very exciting time for my new family and it is this personal connection to the liberation of the people of Libya that has caused within me a diligent interest in the civil unrest occurring across North Africa and the Middle East. Interestingly, I have found many connections between what is happening in Libya/Egypt/Tunisia/Etc. and the potential of our own American youth. 

Firstly, it was very interesting to read the essays of UT students with ties to Egypt (found here). One student, Jordan, was in Alexandria at the time the revolution began. I met Jordan when I first moved to Austin during Ramadan in 2009, and I was instantly struck by her interest and passion for Egypt and middle-eastern culture. Reading her account, it struck me how subtle of a revolution it was. People were in the streets, and somehow this action went from peaceful protesting to a non-violent revolution. In Libya and Tunisia, however, things were a bit different. 

In Tunisia, the revolution is literally being led by students. In this article, there are accounts of the many ways in which young students are going into the streets and demanding the democracy they have been educated on partially through their schooling but mostly through their experience. What is so interesting with this youth revolution led by educated masses is that they are not only calling for a change, but they are suggesting what will be done next. This instantly made me think of the American civil rights movement, where the mass of students involved were demanding a change to the system but, as far as I have studied, did not make demands for what would happen once that change was accomplished. Because of this involvement and awareness factor, I think it is interesting to observe the strength and legitimacy of youth movements.

You can see this power is threatening to those being challenged across the board. In Libya, Gaddafi has famously been accusing the youth in revolt of being high on hallucinatory drugs and drunk on alcohol. As the revolution spreads, he continues to try and crush the reputation of the youth, something that can at times be easily accomplished. But we can see that these students are resilient and passionate about their involvement. In Yemen, the students who are leading the revolution feel it has been invaded by the leaders who are suddenly taking part in what they call "their" movement. (Source: this article) 

A common theme throughout these youth revolutions that ties into our class topics in an interesting way is the disparity in status of those revolting vs. those resisting the call to abandon their leaders. Across communities, while the average youth have been in the street, the wealthier citizens and families have been in hiding, hesitant to fight against the community that allows their power. I feel like this is very indicative of our current culture of education communities. We talked last week about how schools will possibly be shut down, and how many of those involved in the political spectrum have this attitude of "well, it's very necessary, as long as it's not my schools"! I feel like this attitude only serves to further distance the student population from previous generations, something that occurs cyclically, but something that can inspire revolution nonetheless. 

It will be interesting to see not only what results in form of government stability in the Middle East and North African, but also how those dramatic results of student uprising will inspire the youth of America. 

Demographics of My Youth

I have known since my youth that I was privileged to attend the schools I did. My kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and high school were all part of a small and "elite" school district centered in the heart of San Antonio, Texas. I was raised in a single parent household in one of the less historic and affluent areas of Alamo Heights (the "rich" neighborhood/city nestled within in the San Antonio city limits), so it was almost like me and my sisters were able to be privileged educationally whereas we were not in many other more obvious parts of our upbringing.

It was interesting keeping this experience and understanding in mind as I studied the demographics of 78209 in the year 2000. I began by comparing the demographics of San Antonio as a whole to the 2000 demographics of the United States as obtained from the 2000 U.S. Census. The following stuck out to me:

• A smaller percentage of the San Antonio(SA) population identifies themselves as white than the overall percentage of self identified while residents in the United States. 
• There are, on average, larger households in SA than across the US. 
• On average more residents rent homes in SA than the national average and less SA residents, on average, own their homes than the national average. 
• Far more residents, on average, speak a language other than English in their home as compared to the national average. 
• The median household income and median family income in SA averages to be $5,000 to $10,000 less than the national average. 
• There is a higher percentage of families in SA that fall below the poverty line than the national average. 

This information aligned with my experience and my observations of San Antonio from 2000-2005. From this information, it is very interesting to look at the demographics for Alamo Heights, which are at times very different from the city this neighborhood is surrounded by. Note the following: 

• The median age in Alamo Heights (AH) is almost 10 years older than the average in SA and 5 years older than the US average. 
• 86.6% of the population in AH identifies themselves as white. This is almost 20% higher than the percentage of white residents in SA. 
• 24.4 percent of the population in AH identify as Hispanic or Latino, which is 50% less than the percentage of residents who identify themselves as Hispanic of Latino in SA. 
• Households are on average smaller in AH than in SA. 
• A greater percentage of residents rent their homes in AH than in SA or the US. A smaller percentage are homeowners in AH than SA or the US. 
• 90.6% of residents in AH over the age of 25 have their high school diploma. This is 15% higher than the SA average. 
• Over 50% of AH residents over age 25 have their bachelor's degree or higher. This is over double the percentage of college graduates in the US, and it is 30% higher than the percentage of SA residents with this level of formalized education. 
• The median household and family income in AH is far greater than the national and SA averages. 
• The median family income in 1999 for AH residents is $10,000 higher than the family income average for the US, and it is $20,000 higher than the family income average for SA residents. 
• The percentage of AH residents below the poverty level is 7.7%, which is lower than the national average and half of that of SA residents below the poverty level, which is 14%

Taking all this is, it is obvious there are some inequities not only between my neighborhood and my city, but also between my city and my country. My neighborhood is, on average, filled with a higher percentage of residents who identify as college educated, white, financially well-off property renters than the country as a whole. This contrasts even more when compared to my city. San Antonio has a higher percentage of residents who identify as Hispanic/Latino, fall below the poverty line, have larger families, and speak a language other than English in their home. It is interesting to contrast these demographics and to see how a small neighborhood and the city around it could contrast so obviously.