Back in the last half of the 20th Century while I was attempting to teach prospective History teachers how to teach, a phenomenon occurred that was recorded by the cartoonist Al Capp. He pilloried “activist” students as *”Students Wildly Indignant (about) Nearly Everything” (shortened to: S.W.I.N.E.). As a meek and mild professor and Union President I found it unsettling that some of the activist students in our fairly quiescent student body would actually be physically demonstrative in their responses to the running of the War overseas. Some branded students and Professors who did not agree with them as: “Outrageous A—h----s”. I feel strongly about not repeating these hate messages, thus multiplying their effect.
I am encouraged that there is not that kind of student activism in this election and sad for the lack of protest against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since there is no longer a draft, I could see how uninvolved students might be who are concerned with course work, tests, grades and graduation. Many, however, have volunteered in the campaigns of Obama and McCain. In those bad old days, education just about stopped while the unstoppable students were demanding attention and demanded that professors make some kind of statement about the war. My credentials were approved by my students but I was not required as some professors were to make public statements about their joining in solidarity with the students in protesting war. This election required a lot of work to register voters.
Trying to gauge how well a candidate is doing by counting heads at rallies and such does not work. The actual proof of preference is lacking in the polls that so many different groups take almost daily. The real deal will be the voting at the polling places as we did two days ago. Those who do not vote relinquish a precious right. Some might vote holding their noses –but they should make a choice.
I must say that because of early voting I can sit back and wonder if any new discovery about some misstep one of the candidates had made back sometimes in the past would have changed my mind. I don’t think so. There were so many erroneous reports about the backgrounds of both Obama and McCain that all the unscrambling of the most ridiculous ones just spent time that could have been used more wisely. It is amazing how some will believe almost anything negative about the other candidate. Voting on Negative grounds is not what voting is all about.
The indignant students of yesteryear are the adults who are voting today. I wonder if they have kept up their anger about mild mannered “O.A’s” of today.