There are many things that a student might find himself doing while at the University, but protesting rarely seems to be one of them. Although the challenges - deepening social inequality, deteriorating public health and the potential for global environmental catastrophe - facing the current generation are daunting, the only visible student response is often in the form of occasional voter registration drives and one-off vigils or gatherings held in the wake of tragedy.
Many are quick to blame apathy and a general sense of entitlement among students, but an equally important deterrent to collective and sustained protest may be the very nature of the problems themselves. While issues such as civil rights, a military draft and the threat of nuclear war that existed during the heyday of student activism in the 1960s were viscerally apparent and immediately consequential, the issues that demand attention today most likely will not affect students' lives for many years to come. As challenging as this reality may be for activists rallying for change in the traditional ways - through sit-ins, marches and media messaging - it also presents an opportunity for a new form of activism to emerge that can correct the negative reputation of traditional protests. Rather than inciting outrage and causing overt disruption, student activists should alter day-to-day aspects of their own lives in a way that will challenge the destructive nature of the American social system.
The notion of stepping outside a society's dominant framework and creating a new mode of existence for oneself has actually been embraced by a number of history's greatest activists. Mahatma Gandhi's Salt March, for example, was important not only for the international attention it drew to the Indian independence movement, but also for the way in which it inspired ordinary Indian citizens to begin remaking their lives beyond the reach of the British colonial system. The act of producing salt in defiance of British law was an apparently miniscule step toward freedom, but it nonetheless succeeded in "shaking the foundations of the British Empire," as Gandhi said, by showing Indians how to regain control over one of the most basic aspects of their lives.
In the same way, modern student activists should eschew grandiose demonstrations against corporate greed, political corruption and bigotry and should instead focus on developing a humble and coherent alternative lifestyle that frees them of the ethical compromises inherent in mainstream society. Many changes that activists can make in their lives are small, but will call into question the assumptions and routines of the traditional American way of life when compounded on a wider scale they. Once the number of vegetarians reaches a critical mass, for example, it will become impossible for individuals to hold dinner gatherings without preparing a dish that is meat-free. This will cause more people to consider the destructive implications of meat production on human health, animal welfare and the environment, and will establish the legitimacy of an alternative way of living. If bicyclists establish a constant presence on roads, then drivers will have to rethink the sense of dominance that comes with being behind the wheel. They will eventually learn to accept that roads are no longer meant solely for automobiles and that getting between places using other modes of transportation can, in fact, be feasible. Once it becomes impossible to retrieve the morning paper without encountering a runner or a jogger, individuals will begin to question whether their own lives are really so busy as to preclude regular exercise.
None of these things - vegetarianism, bicycle commuting or regular exercise - will change the world by itself, but each can fit into a remodeled conception of American life that accepts the responsibility that individuals have toward their environment, their fellow men and ultimately themselves. Each time someone adopts one of these practices, he will not only reduce his own culpability for the disastrous consequences of excessive resource consumption, but will also be showing others that positive change is eminently possible. The proliferation of these practices at the University offers great hope for the future, but students must carry their improved habits with them throughout the remainder of their lives. Although it may seem insignificant when compared to the unbridled rebellion of the 1960s, this new method of individualized activism might have a greater effect in the long run by creating a new social system rather than merely destroying an old one.
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