The American people tend to love a rebel. We have been raised on the tales of Luke Skywalker defeating the tyrannical Empire, hallowed stories of Katniss Everdeen committing war crimes, or too-mad-to-play-Mad Max Mel Gibson leading the Scots against a sociopath called Longshanks. Privileged people such as myself are rarely in the position to be forced to fight against the power. While it is difficult to put myself in the mindset of someone who would deem it necessary, I am aware of some injustices that I would rebel for: democracy, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion.
The first thing that would make me want to fight back against any government is if my right to vote was inhibited. Just because I’m a minor and can’t legally vote doesn’t mean I don’t understand how exponentially important it is for the people to be able to choose who is best suited to represent and lead them. It bothers me that most people in America don’t vote when they have the choice. Only about 60% of eligible voters do so in a presidential election and roughly 40% vote in the midterms (Vote Turnout).
Imagine the indignation felt if the men and women in power weren’t chosen by the people they were supposed to lead and protect, but rather arbitrarily placed in said position. One of the founding principles of America was that the people should be able to choose who represents them in order to give voice to the citizens of a nation. This is obviously an important part of life and something that I would certainly rebel for.
How amazing is it that I can say “Obama deserves to be kicked in the shins by a three year old”that without some armor-clad stormtroopers bursting in and hauling me away to a swampland CIA black site in Central America to be given some “forced civics lesson” or “gentle persuasion? ” This is an example of another thing I would rebel for: the freedom of speech. I don’t really think that a three year old should be kicking the president, but as a basic human right, I should be allowed to.
There are places in the world where you would be drawn and quartered for speaking out against the regime. Even simple things like the film The Interview can cause massive uproars in a country controlled by a dictator. Freedom of speech is massively important to insuring the true freedom of a nation’s populus. Similar to exercising the right to vote, freedom of speech is something I am disappointed in people for using inappropriately.
It seems like the only time you hear some say “It’s a free country; I can say what I want! ” is when they are being unnecessarily rude for no reason other than to inflate their own shallow ego. I wish that more people would speak out against the malicious politicians with their nefarious schemes, the charlatans, and the crooked cops that plague the nation rather than squandering this by attempting to get away with using slurs.
The freedom of speech is still necessary to a democracy, even if the masses refuse to use it appropriately. Finally, I would rebel for the separation of church and state. I am not against people practicing their religion, and I believe that everyone has a right to believe what they will; however, I am not a particularly religious person, so I approach this topic more as an avoidance of a second Holy Roman Empire, which “is neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire,” (Voltaire. Religion should not be forced into politics, as this could ultimately result in the dark ages 2. 0 and hundreds of years where there is no such thing as scientific advancement. Galileo was murdered for saying that the Earth went around the sun, as opposed to what the church was claiming (Leveillee).
That sounds terrifying to me. This isn’t just a thing of the past; many politicians still attempt to ban the teaching of evolution in an effort to ‘keep God from being forced out of schools. I do not believe that I could stand for people telling me that I wasn’t allowed to learn about the origins of the universe as we know it from the factual evidence thousands of years of scientific studies have gathered because it conflicts with a belief system that cannot state the same. Nearly all of recorded human history has shown that it’s not a good idea to mix religious beliefs with politics as it only creates more conflict. These are all reasons I would rebel against a government that does not separate itself from all religions.
I recognize that I have a pretty great life compared to people who are actually rebelling against their own government for some of the basic rights that | enjoy. It is difficult to imagine myself actually ever being in the position to do what I claimed I would and fight for the right to vote, the freedom of speech, and the separation of church and state. While I’d prefer not to fight anyone, if a group threatened the rights of the people then I would follow in the footsteps of generations of idealists and revolutionaries in hopes of building a better world.
