I have to make a personal comment on the statement Meslin made in the above article about the young protesting.

"But more importantly, all the kids who are walking out of school to protest against climate change or class cuts, we constantly see reminders in the news that people care about issues and are willing to invest time and energy when they feel that that investment will make a difference."

I was 15 and in my last year of high school in the fall of 1973, when two teachers who had begun teaching at our school, maybe the year before, called me aside to speak with me in their office. I of course agreed, and was told that the teachers didn't make enough money to support their families and needed a union. I was asked to help by leading a student walk-out. Of course I wanted to help my teachers, so I went around to all the classes, somehow speaking to someone in each classroom about walking out that day, right after lunch (if I remember correctly).

It went off beautifully - everyone went outside, and "miraculously," minutes later, the news cameras arrived. I stood near the cameras as they panned the line of students from right to left (they were all smiling and waving, so I rushed along reminding them that it was a protest, not a party) and then the camera panned back left to right (and all the students looked seriously concerned).

I went home and watched it on TV that night, and knew that there was something very wrong with it, but it would take some time for me to identify all the issues completely. Clearly none of the students cared about the issue at all, but were very happy that they got out of school early on a sunny autumn day, and would even be on the news that night. I had no idea if all the teachers wanted to unionize, or even what it would mean in the future. The two new teachers had used me, and quickly moved up in the education hierarchy - one in the school board and the other in the union.

I vowed I'd never let them use me again in that way. I would refuse two opportunities to read for the news, and a number of tentative opportunities to join various "private clubs." It's been a challenge on many fronts, but I don't regret it, and have come to appreciate my freedom from that kind of control more and more.

Sonar