Protesting the mob mentality

Careful personal reflection has revealed that I have only two major pet peeves in life: people who waste their money on personalized license plates that are never worth what they say (e.g. HADAJAG on a Mercedes) and people who protest for the sake of protesting. While these two pet peeves may not be on quite the same level, both seem to me to be based on a person's need to make a statement simply for the sake of making a statement.

I haven't been for any long walks in Lot 23 lately so I'm not sure how guilty Princeton students are of the former. But I have done my share of passing the filibusterers standing outside Frist where, in recent times, I have observed them doing things like reading soft-core romance novels and drunkenly singing in the name of political freedom.

Before I continue, let me clarify: I'm not opposed to the filibuster. I basically agree with their goals and respect the students who started the effort, particularly given that they have succeeded against the odds. Yet I would never filibuster because I personally do not feel informed enough about the issues to believe that I have the right to take a stand. Although I consider myself a liberal and vote Democrat for lack of a better option, I hate to attach myself to a political issue simply because it is categorized as "liberal," "Democrat" and, of course, "anti-Republican."

The filibuster began as a small protest that we — or at least I — thought would soon die out. Instead, the filibuster, in a move deserving of some heartwarming Disney channel "inspired by true events" movie, has grown and flourished. And as with all underground trends that eventually achieve success, it's gone mainstream. They've got a tent, a giant Mac with a webcam attachment and plenty of news coverage. People who ignored it a week and a half ago are now stopping by to filibuster for a few minutes. There's even a facebook group. Rather like people who believe that punk is still alive because they shop at Hot Topic, many of the students filibustering seem to think that they're rekindling the spirit of Berkeley circa 1966 by getting up and reading from their science textbooks.

At a school often denounced for its political apathy, everyone is celebrating the fact that students are taking an active role in campus and national politics. What worries me, however, is how active this role really is for many of the students involved. Many of my friends have gone to filibuster not because they fervently believe that what is happening on Capitol Hill is wrong but because they understand that they probably wouldn't agree with Bill Frist or the rest of the conservatives in the Senate and right here is an opportunity of sorts to do something about this. And you can say whatever you want. It's so easy to jump on the bandwagon when it's yards away from where you just picked up late lunch.

I was living in London when America was in its final weeks of deliberating war with Iraq, and I had the opportunity to view one of the largest antiwar marches in the world. While I was also opposed to going to war, I couldn't bring myself to participate. I watched the march for quite awhile, as people shrugged at each other and decided to join in for the sake of joining in, sometimes as they were coming out of a pub or finishing some shopping. It became less about the actual political issue at hand and more about the act of marching and shouting.

While the filibuster here is a different situation and is not at the same level of mob mentality I saw in London, what worries me is that I also see the filibustering becoming more about the act than the politics behind it. Even before my preschool teacher helped me to figure out which was my right hand and where my heart was, I've had it pounded into me that the beauty of democracy stems from the fact that everyone can participate. Given this assumption, I think people would argue that it doesn't matter who filibusters and why, as long as they have and exercise the right to do so. The trouble is, I think some people have more of a right to do it than others. Those are the people who have actually informed themselves about the issue at hand and are not showing up to filibuster simply because it's there and they can say "Guess what? I filibustered!" For the dedicated students who created and run the filibuster, I know it's wonderful that there is such high student participation.I just wish that more of the people filibustering weren't doing it for what I see as the wrong reasons. Cailey Hall is a sophomore from Los Angeles, CA. She can be reached at schall@princeton.edu.