Found.

the internet is amazing. it allows me to live vicariously, to learn about news in the world instantly, to feel connected.

right now, though, i just want to dive in and teleport and be able to do something. i wanted to be at the white house on nov. 6th to help protest against keystone xl. now, as i read the news about occupy, i want to be there, to live in the moment, in the movement, and be there.

maybe it’s the curiosity that’s attracting me, the complete change from my life right now. i’m doing this year for personal enrichment, but i feel like i could be doing more. i follow a lot of fashion and food blogs on tumblr, and i just got so bored, especially when i saw photo after photo of high heels or brownies. i want to ask, “are you not aware of what’s going on? hello????” but i don’t because those blogs aren’t mine and the writers wouldn’t respond. i don’t want to be perusing shoe photos when occupy is going on. i want to be doing something, anything. i’m making organic cider here, but all i can do is provide cyber support.

i truly support occupy, and hope it enacts some incredible change in our government. it gives me hope, just like Obama did in ‘08, and i hope it’s real hope I can believe in this time. I have a lot of faith simply in the number of protesters who are out there day in and day out. i may be a ‘yuppie’ or ‘faux-hipster’ to some of the protesters, but i care, too. it’s my future as well as yours. i may be middle class and have gone to prep school, but our government must change, and the change should come from the people.

in the new yorker article, i was a bit surprised to read that ‘the protest is in the nature of Americans.’ It is in our history, yes, but not in my generation’s consciousness. We’ve never had to fight for anything, or had a draft. I was in 3rd grade when 9/11 happened, I have lasting memories of the morning, and I’m sure east coasters have more poignant memories, but that’s the one shocking thing we’ve lived through so far. The war in Afghanistan and Iraq scared me, but it seemed so distant. We haven’t lived through a world war or the civil rights movement. Honestly, I think we’re relearning the art of protest. We camp out to wait for the next iPhone, not to secure our rights as citizens. Lazy or unnecessary would be the words to use for our generation. 

Now, let’s step up.