Courtesy of The Daily Show

Previous generations of students marched on the National Mall to fight for civil rights and to criticize the Vietnam War, and these students made significant impacts. Those fights presented immediate moral imperatives that necessitated action. Although it lacks the same level of immediacy and moral imperative as its predecessors, the necessity of this rally remains. Our generation will soon be the largest voting bloc in the country and with this power comes a heavy political burden. We will soon chart the future of this country, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the dialogue associated with the political process is rational and responsible. We must ensure that fearmongering and divisive discussion do not continue to plant seeds of hate throughout our lifetime.

For those of you who have felt left out, intimidated or just too annoyed with the political forum to get involved, this is a great way to start. Those of you who have grown disillusioned with politics ought to join in as well. Despite its comedic origins, the rally is being taken seriously, garnering plugs from Oprah and even President Obama himself. So come join the hundreds of thousands of people already committed to attending and make your voices heard. Just remember to be reasonable about it.

Zoe Kessler | Student Life

There were a variety of speakers and a few musical guests. (Shout out to the band “Founding Fathers” for playing a few of my favorites while I was there. I will, however, not forgive changing the lyrics to suit your political views.)

For those not in the know, the Tea Party’s message favors free market capitalism, smaller government, fewer taxes and lower spending. What makes them the wacky uncle of political action groups are their less widely held beliefs, like the one that our president is a Muslim or that he hates America. (While on the subject of less widely held beliefs…according to one speaker, the “death panels” have already started. The speaker was a freakin’ medical professional by the way. I’ll let that sink in.)

However, they have proven remarkably effective at working within the system for getting their candidates on the ballot and winning in primaries across the country, something for which they should be respected.

The first thing I gathered about the Tea Party based on the event was the extreme sense of superiority they have in their beliefs. Just about every speaker who took the stage told the crowd that we were true patriots for fighting against government tyranny and that they were too smart to be taken in by sleek politicians with their sound bytes that distract us from the real issues.

The second thing I gathered was that their analysis of the current state of the country is straight up wrong. There were some comments about the secular liberal superminority (Dick Morris, that isn’t a word) that is controlling the country and the political narrative, something I find hard to believe considering how few members of congress are non-religious (there are only three) and how the narrative is not even a little bit controlled by liberals.

Of course this statement included the media as a whole, which apparently had been treating the Tea Party as a fringe group according to those at the rally. (Of course this means that FOX News doesn’t count as the media, something I can get behind.)

The last thing I gathered was the anger at education that the crowd seemed to hold. One speaker offered a story about how he hadn’t paid attention in economics class because he thought it was stupid, and that was why he had never learned about Keynesianism (people cheered at that).

And it wasn’t David Limbaugh foaming at the mouth about spending or those absolutely awful jokes about President Obama (seriously guys, a joke isn’t funny just because it’s something derogatory about the president) that got the most intense and angry reactions from the crowd. That moment came when one speaker appeared onstage and started ranting and raving about how college students were ruining America with their activism and liberal ideals and needed to be stopped.

I might be wrong about the intentions of his speech, especially considering there were both college students and college grads there, but I have honestly never been more afraid in my entire life than during that speech. All the people around me were visibly seething with anger. The sheer hatred with which they struck at an entire group, that I am a part of, for zero ideological reasons shook me to my bones.

And that is the problem with the Tea Party, not the ideological beliefs they hold and not the fact that they might end up being the winners of the 2010 elections. I might not like those thoughts, but I can accept them.

What I find unacceptable is the fact that I felt as though they were attacking me as a person for wanting to get a good college education.

The NAACP had a similar feeling when Tea Party members hurled racial epithets at Congressman Jim Clyburn before the final healthcare vote, culminating in their accusation that the Tea Party was racist.

Whether intentional or not, the personal fear and hatred they create is there. Our political process is neither easy nor clean. It is about compromise, debate and comparing ideals. Most of all, it is about respect.

But when you tell me that I am less than you for pursuing something that I have wanted since I was a child, that you hate me, and that I am to be derided for trying to grasp at my dreams; when you tell me that you don’t respect all the hard work I have done and mock me for my personal abilities, then I tell you I will do absolutely everything in my power to stop you from winning your election because you do not deserve it.

Considered to be the largest environmental effort in history, the event took place last weekend in over 180 countries and on all continents. The goal of the event was to pressure political leaders attending the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference to take stronger stances on slowing global warming. Activists in the movement around the world, including those in St. Louis, photographed their rallies and intend to send the pictures to Copenhagen.

Green Action President Peter Murrey, a junior, said he believes the global response shows that people from all cultures “want climate legislation to happen.” Murrey said that “leaders have to realize that if they don’t recognize that, they will find themselves out of a job very quickly.”

The number 350 represents the maximum amount of carbon dioxide in parts per million (PPM) that, according to scientists, can be in the atmosphere without triggering the damaging consequences of climate change. Currently, carbon dioxide levels are at 387 PPM in the atmosphere.

Supporters of clean energy legislation want to see these carbon dioxide levels decline and insist that, as senior Guillaume Auffret put it, more work be done to promote sustainable energy.

“We are talking about wind energy, solar energy [and] geothermic energy,” Auffret said.

Auffret hopes that the U.S. government will adopt “a sense of urgency” regarding climate change and said he believes that European and Asian countries are surpassing the United States on this global issue.

“We need a strong U.S. presence there [in Copenhagen] if we are able to effect any change,” Murrey said. “We’re one of the leaders of the world, and for us to be lagging on this issue is disgusting.”

Some Third World countries are bringing innovative sustainability plans to Copenhagen. Indonesia, for example, plans to harness geothermic energy from the water vapor emitted by volcanoes.

Locally, Wash. U. students attended 350’s Action @ the Arch Rally with about 200 people. Mayor Francis Slay encouraged activists there, stating that he along with 60 other mayors urged the White House to complement economic stimulus funding with green initiatives.

Sophomore Adam Hasz was especially inspired by the mayor’s support, and he emphasized the “immediacy of this issue in terms of local action and how we can make a difference right now.”

Also a member of Green Action, Hasz hopes to see Missouri lawmakers take action to improve the state’s energy efficiency rating, which currently stands at 45th in the nation.

While sophomore Matthew Blum, treasurer of Green Action, also found the rally inspiring, he hopes that in the future, supporters will be less homogenous. Blum said he believes that although the movement is international, “here, in St. Louis, it needs to diversify.”

After Action @ the Arch, the University campus hosted a 350 Sustainability Fair, the last event for CS40’s Ecolympics, a weeklong challenge for residential colleges to prove how green they are. Held on the Swamp, the event invited students to participate in a clothing swap and hear the Nuclear Percussion Ensemble, which played with instruments made from recycled materials.

Junior Anna Li said she believes “the clothing swap will be an annual event in the future,” with more campus involvement.

Sophomore Brandon Lucius, CS40’s sustainability chair, said he’d like to see Ecolympics become more competitive in the future, with more student participation.

“By no means is Power Shift or the 350 campaign or any of these environmental movements regarding climate change coming to an end,” Hasz said. “At Wash. U., the movement will actually continue to grow in the coming months, up until Copenhagen, and will hopefully continue to grow as the years go by.”