Viva la revolución

I’m not quite sure how many more columns the nice people at The Daily Campus want during the remainder of this semester, so I’ve decided to do this particular one now. It may be premature, but I figure I had best get it done while I know there is still time.

While reading op-ed pieces, either outside The Daily Campus or, especially, within, I have often gotten the impression that the author is genuinely having fun with his or her task. They love to see their criticisms and witticisms hit the page and appear in print, wondering at the reaction they are provoking. Those who do this sort of thing on the airwaves are sometimes said to be in love with the sound of their own voice, and I think it’s rather obvious that writers are susceptible to the same temptation.

In contrast, I would have to say that I do not particularly enjoy writing this column, at least not in the same way. I don’t hate it, of course, but I would much rather be taking this time to do any number of other things. I had a good idea that I would feel this way when I agreed to take on a weekly column, but I accepted the offer all the same.

Rather than writing each week for my own amusement or gratification, I do this out of a sense of duty. Essentially, I feel like it would be wrong of me not to take advantage of the opportunity I have been provided. This feeling is largely dictated by circumstances of location.

I first began writing in to the paper because I worried nobody else would counter a particularly noxious column that appeared one day. This pattern persisted, off and on, over the next year or so, until I was informed that my usual opponent would no longer be occupying his slot, and that I was being considered as a replacement. At the same time, I was pleased to note that other, similar changes occurred to the op-ed page.

While the section had formerly contained writing that bordered on the fascistic, or was just odd, it now featured a stable lineup of writers that, while I did not always feel comfortable in their ideological company, were nevertheless a vast improvement on the past.

I named my column in honor of the Sandinistas, a movement of the Nicaraguan people that originated to fight the Somoza family of U.S.-supported dictators. The Sandinistas began sending their country down the road to development, but they were inaccurately vilified by the U.S. government as Communists and had their revolution destroyed by gangs of terrorists (the Contras) recruited, trained, armed and funded by the CIA with U.S. tax dollars. The Sandinistas demonstrated what people could accomplish, despite meager resources and massive opposition from powerful sectors at home and abroad. There may never be another chance like that in Nicaragua again; in fact, the country may never recover.

The Quakers say that one should speak truth to power, but, as Noam Chomsky has pointed out, those in power already know the truth. They remain in power by making sure the truth is not widely known. Thus, one should instead speak truth to people.

That’s what I have tried to do with this column. I had no confidence that anyone else was going to speak truth to people in the commentary pages of The Daily Campus, where it was so badly needed, and so I decided I would do it myself. I have tried to avoid the smarmy, self-righteous tone common to blowhard reactionary commentators, and far too many “liberals” as well, in favor of something a little more approachable and low-key. I’m not sure how to measure success in this endeavor, but all things considered I think I pulled it off.

Looking at the past, present and probable future purely in terms of action misses the point. Neglecting “hearts and minds” can be incredibly costly. A major factor in Hitler’s success against France and certain other countries was the very large fascist sentiment that had taken hold in said countries. It is crucial to remember this today in a country where those who call attention to “root causes” are too often disregarded or scoffed at.

I’d like to think that I have had some success in the “hearts and minds campaign.” I receive more praise than derision, and hardly anything I would classify as “hate mail,” unless things change drastically over the next couple of weeks. I hope nobody takes that as a cue. I’d like to thank the nice people at The Daily Campus, the other SMUndinistas among the students and faculty who have provided encouragement, and the people on my mailing list, which stretches across the country and across the Atlantic.

¡Viva SMUndinista!