Jun 19 2007
Who Says Teens don’t have a Social Conscience?
Like many teenagers, my 16 year old son has a Myspace profile. He was telling me how he’d seen a lot of posts about the senseless killing of seals. Not that he wouldn’t find this disturbing, but there are issues that trouble him more. With his permission, I have reposted his thoughts.
ATTN Everyone posting the seal bulletins
You might not have realised this, and far be it from you to have done so, but there’s a genocide going in the Sudan right now.
Yes, a ****ing genocide.
They’re people. Sure, they have darker skin than you, but they are people. You can feel all warm and fuzzy inside by bringing attention to the plight of seals, but you love to ignore the fact thousands of Sudanese people are being killed, raped and beaten in Darfur for no real reason.
Similarly, there’s a low intensity war in Etrirea, and almost fifty innocent Iraqi civillians are killed daily for carrying out their daily lives, going to school, buying food, or just being outside the wrong building at the wrong time.
Now, let’s get this straight. The seals mean more than these people. Hold on a second, the seals are more important than these people?
Something seem just a tad not right to you? You know, the killing of a seal, often through somewhat humane and quick methods, for an economical gain, which in this capacity is not really that difference to any kind of lifestock industries, is more important than the killing of a Sudanese woman and her child in Darfur for no reason, or the Shi’a Muslim who was praying to his God?
Don’t pretend to be something you’re not. If the economical killing of seals is so troubling to you, I don’t even want to comprehend how much anguish and pain you must feel over the genocide in Darfur.
I’m very proud to see he’s taking an interest in what’s happening outside his country. And he was encouraged with the messages of support he received, including
Good work :]
Im glad someone brought up human deaths, as opposed to seal deaths.
I have family in Sudan, so yeah, thanks for bringing this to the attention of a few people.
Hopefully someone bothers to recognise the killing of seals is NOTHING in comparison to whats actually going on in the world..
Have a good night :]
xx
AMEN TO THAT! flipping environmentalists! there is so much worse in this world than flipping seals or animal testing or fox hunting!
besides which… how the frig do they think posting a buletin [sic] is going to solve the problem?
good on you!
i couldn’t have said it better myself
7 Responses to “Who Says Teens don’t have a Social Conscience?”
What a special boy you have there Meg, you must be so proud of him
Hi Leigh
Yes he is, and I most certainly am!
It’s also fabulous that you are reading and encouraging his expression. It’s great he shares his online life with you.
Hi Joh
Thanks for your comment.
We talk to an extent about our online activities more so than me monitoring his. He mentioned what he’d written and I asked him to send it to me. He’s very bright and well informed about a lot of subjects, and I’m trying to encourage him to air them a little more. He was actually going to write a piece about Anzac Day and what it meant to him, but it turned into an epic and just got the better of him!
I think it is great you and he are sharing your online experience.
As far as genocide in africa goes, I have in the past discussed it with several Australians who were part of the peacekeeping mission in Somalia. Their experiences and what they saw changed them.
As i understand warfare in Africa its tribal going back thousands of year. Rape, torture and murder was part of the landscape but now they have moved from spear and club to machine gun and rocket. Until you can change the underlying culture there is always going to be genocide. Just the location will change.
Congratulations on raising a son with a social conscience. Well done young man!
Coach – thanks (and for mentioning him in your “what I learned” post). I’ve shown him the feedback, and I *think* he’s chuffed (but he IS a 16 year old male, so I wouldn’t expect him to show it outwardly)!
I’m certainly proud – he’s one of four terrific kids.