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Does Anyone Even Care: Dissent, Protest & Antagonism

© Aiesha Turman

For starters, I am dismayed with the lack of young African Americans in this era of fleeting civil liberties. Where are they? Are there no more dissenters among us? I hope not. The Black community has a long history of speaking up and speaking out, but it seems as though many of those voices have been muffled.

I am particularly disheartened by the lack of political vision of those in the hip-hop generation, a generation that I (for the most part) am proud to be a member of. Since September 11th, there seems to be a collective agreed upon silence that is maddening at best. Is there no more protest music? Millions of dollars are being pumped into a machine that advocates baseless materialism, unsafe sexual practices and the objectification of women. Yet, one has to look really hard to hear the voices of the greadissentersrs of hip-hop like Chuck D., KRS ONE and SisteSouljahah. Their voices are beinburieded faster than thTalibanan in the rubble of Afghanistan. Why is that?

Are people just afraid to speak up? Are wewroughtught with fear that we speak only in shallow whispers amongst a few close associates? Where are the protests and mass mobilizations that helped my parents and grandparents be seen (finally) as full, true members of American society -- deserving of all the rights privilegesdges that come with that? Has the ridiculous Patriot Act scared folks into submission? I hope not.

I have begun to reason that with Blacks' unwavering need to be accepted into American society, many of us have taken on the complacent nature of said society. We have reasoned (wrongly,I might add) that we are on a level playing field and that the war in the Middle East poses no threat to African Americans at home. How sad.

The Patriot Act, passed shortly after September 11th, basically allows the United States government to ignore the 4th Amendment and to partamillennialillenial form of COINTELPRO. Does anyone care about the erosion of our civil liberties under the guise of patrUnfortunatelytudissentersssentors seem to be few and far between. I understand that the large-scale loss of life on American soil has taken many aback, but I also understand that we are living undeMcCarthyismarthyism, where people can, have and will be blackballed for voicing "un-Patriotic" views. However, those with these views should make it a priority to shake up the collective consciousness of the masses. And besides, what could be more patriotic or American than voicing an unpopular opinion.