In Barack Obama's SOTU Tuesday night, he said of the Tunisian citizens "the will of the people proved more powerful than the writ of a dictator." I just finished reading many articles on CNN about the current protests in North Africa. In class, we are writing This I Believe essays. These are concise, organized statements about our personal values. In North Africa, citizens are asserting their beliefs through a different medium: protest. The power of protest is inspiring, especially when citing the country of Tunisia.
The country of Tunisia formally presented itself as a Republic. Former President Ben Ali (ousted just recently from his 23 years in office) committed acts of corruption against the ideals of a Republic. The protests of Tunisian citizens began in mid December. Protesters are voicing their outrage against many faults within Tunisian society. Protests have escalated and led police to use brutality to control civilians. Despite the protests that have ended in violence, I am inspired by Tunisia.
I consider myself lucky to be a citizen of the United States. I believe I have access to many opportunities and the ability to voice my opinion. However, I don't know that I have ever done just that: voice my opinion. The oppressed Tunisian citizens managed to voice their opinions via protest and are in a complex process of improving their country. I'm not oppressed. I haven't protested. Reading these articles reminded me of my duty as a citizen and not just my privileges. I must protest what I view as unjust. I must model my own actions after the people of Tunisia.
I wish I could road trip to Washington DC right this very moment. However, I can't. I do know that the news coverage on these stories has brought to my attention the dire need for me to use my voice. Perhaps one day I will deliver a concise, organized speech in front of hundreds, calling for change. Perhaps one day I will spontaneously protest in my nation's capital against an unjust act. Until then, I'll follow news coverage on North Africa protests closely, edit my This I Believe, and store my knowledge of a citizen's duty in my mind.
Read up! Tunisia
That is so true! We have the ability and chance to voice our opinions yet we haven't use that effectively. I like that you dealt with the issue of duty as a citizen with the problems in Tunisia. It puts a lot of things in perspective. Good job!
ReplyDeleteWe talked about this in one of my French classes and we found a really interesting point. The French people, especially students, like to riot, a lot. They riot enough that when the government is rebuilding the streets, they build them so it isn't possible for the people to tear them up and use ruble as projectiles when the police arrive. The Tunisian people are obviously not afraid to voice their opinions either. Why don't Americans do this as often? Every once and a while you'll hear of a protest in Washington, but we aren't on the same level as other countries.
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