Do you remember seeing old photos of students protestings and burning things, rallying for days or just generally being up-in-arms? Well it seems students of today have nothing on the youth of yesterday according to an Irish Sun columnist.
Oliver Callan reckons Irish students are nowhere near as politically involved as they should be, and instead are leaving activism up to celebrities.
In his opinion piece, published yesterday, Callan said there's been a common thread in all the public discussion lately: celebs.
"Drag act Panti Bliss provoked the first real debate on equal marriage. Then the Rubberbandits and Bressie led the charge on mental health spending.
"And singer Glen Hansard has fomented a public discussion about Nama and homelessness.
"It wasn’t always like this. Political agitation once began at student level".
Could he be right though? Students do seem to have become increasingly more inward-thinking than outward, though we prob shouldn't discredit the awesome job student societies and unions do. But are our voices being heard enough?
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Callan said Irish college campuses were once "heartlands for feminism, anti-capitalism and secularism in a papal state. More recently, anti-Bush protests emanated from colleges against the Iraq war".
He basically goes on to say hardcore political issues used to be really important students and they've now got a bit of a 'meh' attitude to it all now... maybe because they don't understand it? Or because, shock and horror, they don't really care?
Callan hinted that he thinks toilet debates are tame in comparison to huge issues that plague the nation and the world: "These days, university campuses are mostly agitated about who gets to use what toilets. It’s the off-Broadway issue in a nation where homelessness is worsening", he said. Some would argue that some issues are important regardless of the wider effect on the community.
He also mentioned Bob Geldof's speech at Trinity College last month where he said students needed to be more political, calling it a stupor that students are in while "the world is in its first real turmoil for half a century".
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So why does Oliver Callan think students don't have a fire in their bellies anymore? "As people enter adulthood, there is less time to be active on issues. This is why the student phase of one’s life tends to be the most telling period for how much they care about society.
To substitute street marches, fiery debates and good old-fashioned noisy rows with huddled lone tapping on keyboards is the mark of a world turning more individualistic and less caring".
Finally, he ominously warns that "If students don’t find their voice in this tumultuous time of the embattled truth and misplaced anger, future citizens are doomed to be disengaged from the world at their own expense".
Definitely food for thought. What do you think?
