Self-reliance

After having listened to 10th and 11th graders running for student council for next year, I am struck by two things.  The first is that as a whole, they tend to be more creative without being offensive than they used to be.

More important, I am struck by the essential passivity of the large majority of them.  “Vote for me and I’ll see to it that changes happen” or “Vote for me and I’ll represent YOU” (one can usually hear the capital letters…).  While those are perhaps expected lines from a candidate running for office, and we certainly hear them in adult elections, I am struck by how infrequently the ideas being proposed (by those who have them) require student council action.

I’m sure having the support of the council wouldn’t hurt, but “getting lemonade in the cafeteria” is an idea that could be directly advocated without having to be elected to student council first.

“Listening to my classmates about what YOU want to do on the Great Lawn” likewise does not require an elected position.

While one could deconstruct many aspects of the speeches (including just how well off these students who want to improve their lives are and how few of the ideas put forth have any merit apart from self-indulgence), what most struct me after about 30 speeches in two days was the passivity of the speakers.

If you think something is worth doing, why aren’t you out there doing something about it?

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