How "21st century" of me to jump
onto a political/educational/social situation and use it as a reason to update my blog. But I’m
only doing this to get some thoughts off my chest.
I like to think of myself as a writer, I
may not be Charles Dickens or Ernest Hemingway, but I find it easiest to express
myself through writing. While some people can easily take to the streets and chant
and cheer and shout and make an actual change and express their thoughts, it
just doesn’t come naturally to me. What does
come naturally to me, is writing. At least I like to think so.
I remember (like it was so long ago) when
these protests started, and I will not lie to you they pissed me off. Not
because I didn’t agree with the cause, but because I thought it was disruptive.
I mean, for one, I felt like I was being judged at every corner simply because I
was in class and not at a protest. I remember having conversations with people
who would nod politely at what I was saying when they clearly didn’t agree with
me. I felt that I had to constantly justify why I thought the protests were
disruptive- and they were... well, they still are; And I felt as though people thought
that I was completely against the protests, which I wasn’t. But I’ve had a
change of heart.
I started thinking about the situation more
deeply. I started thinking about myself and what the fee increases would mean
for me specifically, and believe me, it wasn’t at all pleasant. I mean, I am
struggling enough as it is, despite the fact that I was lucky enough to get a
bursary. What if I am not so fortunate next year, and the year after and the
year after that? That would mean an end to my university career long before I
have the chance to become the filmmaker that I have dreams of becoming. And not
to mention the debt that I would not be able to pay back, because let’s be
honest, being a filmmaker is not the most guaranteed way to earn an income.
With all this in mind, I now realise that
maybe the protest does have to be this drastic. Maybe I do need to feel
uncomfortable about the fact that I cannot attend lectures, and hand in my
assignments and prepare for exams. Maybe these things are all trivial in the
greater scheme of things. Sure, it’s important to pass this year, but that won’t
mean anything if I cannot afford to go back to university next year.
So I guess I feel as though this is all
bittersweet. If the protests are successful, then fantastic. It means that more people, myself included, can continue to get the education they deserve. It
means that just that many more people can at least hope to get an education
that will better their future. But what if they aren’t... and I don’t want to
be a pessimist but what if the government and the institutions and councils
just won’t budge? Then will this all have been wasted time and energy?
My opinion on the protest is not ironed
out, but all I know is that it is a necessary measure- disruptive, slightly aggravating
but necessary and quite empowering. I know that I am FOR the cause and I
believe that fee increases are ridiculous- to put it politely. But- and it's a huge but- I also know that
I am completely against the violence. And I don’t care for the whole “sometimes
violence is the only way” argument, violence is something that I believe can
only justified in VERY select situations.
I should probably stop now, before I write
a whole thesis of brain vomit about these protests. Given half the chance,
believe me, I would go on forever.
So I guess that’s all, Bye.
