Be the change, destroy the posters

To all that it no doubt concerns,

Many elders have commented that our generation is engaging society in a growing movement not seen since the ’60s. Neil Howe, in his analysis of American generations beginning with the Puritans, has observed that as “heroic” generations – civic-minded institution builders, exemplified by the GI generation Brokaw lauds – begin to disappear, the fourth generation after them, who range between teens and young adults, display almost the exact tendencies. Howe also correlates these generations with times of great social change, i.e. World War II and the new crisis that on average appears as our generation’s little brothers and sisters turn 18 years of age.

Voter turnout during our lifetimes has increased, drug use in our generation is lower than the previous, and enrollment in universities is up, especially for women. We obviously have the potential to change things. I suggest that we start simply with something we can all do:

As you walk to class, destroy the posters of a certain Web site.

They blanket the English, Dexter, Art, and Agribusiness buildings with large posters on glossy papers, they cover up the staked posters of campus clubs, they waste resources in creating pens and more tiny flyers to pollute the library’s fourth floor. They cover up other posters in corkboards, and they place their tiny fliers (yet numerous) on parked bicycles, resulting in the falling of countless leaves of paper.

Recycle their posters, boycott their site. It only takes a split second to tear at their ads, and it feels very rewarding to throw them in the blue bin. In concert, we shall go to the end, we will fight them on the walls, we will fight them at ATM windows. With gathering strength and righteousness we shall defend our campus, we shall fight them on the fields of the Dexter building, and we shall fight them in the streets like Via Carta. We shall never give in.

Though our organizations place similar ads, we heed moderation. We respect not only our collective places of learning but our own minds that should not be constantly arrested, over a period of months (so far), by the sight of one oppressive pulp regime.

For a better future and campus,