Monday, January 31, 2011
Changing the World
Two service opportunities that often get overlooked are politics and protests. We often forget about the importance of local races. Our state government determines how much college costs, how much financial aid students can get, where and what roads and tollways get built etc...Furthermore, it is easy to overlook mundane tasks like stuffing envelopes, or calling people to remind them to vote. But these little things make a big difference. The spring 2008 issue of The American Sociological Review includes an article called "Can Power From Below Change the World?" by Frances Fox Piven, author of Challenging Authority: How Ordinary People Change America (Polemics). Her article basically said that we are all tied to each other and so our connection to those around us can be a source a power that creates social movements that can alter the course of America. It is in a sense seeing a sense of power in a sociologically mindful way. This reminds me that for a service project, students can go to a protest. They just need to document it with pictures. Have you ever been to a protest? What would you be willing to protest for? What you be willing to be arrested for?
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It's still hard to see that we can make change.
ReplyDeleteits not that hard to change the micro version of the world. in our own states, even in small towns we have a local government that is just as, if not more important than the major gov't. because of federalism we controll what our states do and the gov't cant change. that is why in certian states homosexual people have the right to get married. that is why in some states it is MANDITORY to take civics (government). im not saying that those are good or bad, i belive they are good, but its the point that the government dose not have total control over our lives. if we dont help our local government, the next joe schmoe to become president will control how we want to live.
ReplyDeleteabsolute power corrupts absolutly
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ReplyDeleteIt is still hard to see that we can make a change
ReplyDelete