Alright, so, yesterday I was standing on my University's main plaza, watching an International Labor Day protest, and talking shit to the editors of the main right-wing paper on campus. The protest itself wasn't much to talk about- a bunch of rich kids shouting about "the Worker", some old fat socialists from downtown singing the Internationale over the mic, not the sort of scene that's going to rise anyone into violent revolution. The weather was nice, and a good time was being had by all. After the singing socialist (wearing a very snappy blue Che Guevera t-shirt over his paunch) stepped down, a young chick hopped on the podium and began to read the party line on Genetically Modified foods (US AGRICULTURE MUST BE 30% ORGANIC by 2004!!), a somewhat hot topic, more in Europe than here. In doing so she reminded me how shallow so much left wing protest is.
International Labor Day.
I don't think the chick knew a thing about GM foods- at best, she'd read an article in Mother Jones which had demonized Monsanto for terminator seeds or something like that, and then decided that GM FOODS ARE BAD, THEY MUST BE STOPPED! I wonder if the thought that maybe GM foods are better for small-time farmers ever crossed her mind, or if she would've cared if it had. GM foods are what keep a lot of farmers in business during bad years, when a disease attacks their strain of crops- the big agribusinesses are the ones that can afford to do organic foods, since they can weather bad years. From what I know, it's hard enough being a farmer in this country, without having to deal with well-meaning yet stupid college students trying to take away the few advantages you have. And, yeah, I know, some GM food is just straight out bad, terminator seeds are horrible, but just as much GM food is valuable and useful- and a bull-headed statement like "30% Organic by 2004" doesn't recognize that.
Another thing about the protest got on my nerves- some of the protestors, mostly the "plight of the workers" ones, came from families who were rich as hell. It's hard not to grimace when you some coquettish 18 year old girl screaming for revolution, knowing that her dad is the head of a multinational bank, that she drives a Lincoln Navigator so big she needs a footladder to climb into it, that she's never held a job in her life, and that she goes to the same $30k a year elite northeastern school you go to. I think there ought to be some sort of financial aid restriction for protesting at Cornell- if you don't need an absolutely huge amount of financial aid to go here, then you don't get to protest about the plight of the worker. Now, I'm fully aware of how lucky I am, and even though I'm a pauper compared to the rest of the people here, I've never really wanted for anything- I'm grateful for that. But, I think my past gives me at least an inkling of what working people go through, an understanding that a lot of the protesters here can't even pretend to have. At least the rich kids here aren't joining the college Republicans.
As a little addendum, the labor day protest yesterday had to pause about half way through to let a couple of bank trucks drive across the protest area...funny stuff.