It is with great reluctance that
I write this post, as I have done my best to avoid the topic of
the student protests and the proposed tuition hike. My reason for doing so is
simple; I’ve been met with mockery when trying to express myself, and my
character has been called into question for thinking the way that I do. However, I no longer feel that I can bite my tongue.
I’d like to clarify that I in no
way condone the extreme actions that some protestors have taken, and fully
support the Montreal Police for doing what is necessary to enforce the law. I
understand that crowd control is a daunting and challenging task, and I tip my
hat to the men and women who are forced to do so each and every day.
My issue is not the students
themselves, nor is it with the government proposing the tuition hike (because
let’s face it, tuition never should have been frozen in the first place), but
rather the general public, the non-students, if you will.
It is amazing to me how fast some
have forgotten what it is like to live on five-for-a-dollar Ramen noodles. The
condescending comments that I have heard from individuals when discussing the
student protests is absolutely appalling. It’s one thing to disagree with a
cause, or the way in which its supporters go about expressing themselves, but
it’s another thing entirely when all you can muster up is a little name
calling. In fact, all this tells me is that YOU are the one in need of an
education (and perhaps are bitter that you did not take advantage of the
tuition freeze when you were young).
To start, lumping every student together
as a "spoiled brat", or most recently, a "terrorist", is a generalization that is entirely irresponsible. It is possible to support a cause without necessarily supporting every
aspect of the means. It seems as though every student has become a “spoiled
brat” and public enemy number one, simply for being a student who applied to
university with a specific budget in mind, and who is now forced to scrimp and
scrounge to make up the difference of an increase. If I stumble upon ONE MORE
PERSON who uses the argument “these kids with their $500 Canada Goose Jackets
and $400 iPhones and fancy iPads and $10
Starbucks lattés don’t know how good they have it”, I’ll lose my mind. First of
all, why don’t you try forming your own opinion rather than regurgitating one
you heard or read? Oh, that would require INDEPENDENT THOUGHT. Something it
appears the general public is not capable of.
Secondly, I do not have a $500
jacket, my iPhone was free with the Fido dollars I’ve accumulated over the past
three years, and I make my own coffee each morning that I drink from my
reusable Habs thermos (which was a Christmas gift from my sister, before you
chastise me for the $10 that could have been allocated towards tuition).
I’ve been told that the fact that
I go to school full time, intern part time and hold a part time job, puts me in
the minority as a “hard working” student. I’d like to see a report that details
how many students are “spoiled brats” whose parents pay for everything and how
many, like me, work extremely hard, sleep four hours a night, and pay for
everything themselves. Not to mention the gray area in between. Regardless of
this phantom statistic, I’d like to point out for the uninformed just how
flawed the Quebec Loans and Bursaries program is. The fact that the government
takes your parents income into account unless you’ve been self-sufficient for a
minimum of two years is absurd. The fact that it doesn’t factor multiple
children into this is equally absurd. Perhaps my father could afford to
contribute towards
my education, but
he certainly can’t contribute to my education, as well as that of my two
sisters, who are also currently pursuing post secondary education.
Thirdly, I find it extremely
ridiculous to suggest that because a young person uses technology on a daily
basis somehow implies that they are able to afford a significant tuition
increase. I challenge these people to attempt to attend a university class without a laptop, and try to take notes.
Lectures have been adapted to accommodate the rapidity with which students are
able to take notes with a laptop as opposed to a pen and paper. Simply put, schooling has integrated technology in such a way that it has become a necessity, not a luxury.
Lastly, it blows my mind that
someone would possibly use the example of “you don’t know how good you have
it”. This is precisely the kind of thinking that impedes progress. Are these
individuals of the belief that a woman in the United States should be content
to not have the right to decide whether or not to carry her unborn child to
full term simply because women in other countries can’t vote or are forced into
a lifestyle with even fewer options? Should homosexuals fighting for marriage
equality simply “be happy with the status quo” since their gay brethren in
other parts of the world are executed for their orientation? While these are admittedly
extreme examples, they make as much sense to me as the argument that students
should just accept whatever they’re told. The purpose of education is to create
free thinkers, people capable of forming their own opinions. It seems that this
gets in the way of cramming society into that tiny little box it has created.
What is my proposed solution?
Increase tuition gradually over a longer period of time. Consider a tuition
freeze on programs that train essential workers with low starting salaries,
like teachers and nurses and social workers. More than anything, all I ask is
for a little compassion and understanding from my fellow man before leaping to
conclusions. While I understand that the general public is not entirely to
blame, as the media’s biased coverage of the student protests makes it
difficult for anyone to truly understand the situation. Remember that there are
two sides to every story, and don’t take a story or a news report at face
value. Do a little research.
Inform yourself. Education doesn’t begin and end
in an institution, but rather is something you can acquire for yourself each
and every day with the tools readily available at your disposal. Perhaps I
expect too much of people, as it has become more and more evident to me with each
passing day that common sense isn’t all that common.
**DISCLAIMER: I sent the above post to several local publications, none of which would print it. I'm assuming it was far too rational, and not radically one sided enough for them to use. Another perfect example of biased journalism.
