Critical Mass

Phil Lovegren writes in the Daily Texan of the intensity of collegiate political movements, noting that in our fervor we often overstep boundaries respected by those more experienced in the political realm than we.  Lovegren argues that in the passionate protests and the like, we can often present a distasteful view of politics that can have a long-term effect on those peers of our who are not so politically minded right now:

A banana cream pie is thrown in the face of a well-paid speaker. A banner unfurled, others stick duct tape on their mouths or chain themselves to a pole. A speaker whose audience has turned their backs away from him; a student body that feels sympathetic to the cause but embarrassed by the tactics. All of this sounds worn out or trivial.

Less trivial is a need for collective action in spite of hesitance, a need for people to realize that democracy is, or at least should be, merely a collection of active voices talking. The output of the conversation produces representative democracy, and its quality determined by the original chattering.