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Big socialist on campus

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Who is the infiltrator? Betsy, an elderly woman who stands outside of the U of A Bookstore on Wednesdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. with a large table and an imposing sign: "Lift the Cuban Arms Embargo."

In the 20 minutes that I spoke with her, three students wandered by and glanced at the literature spread out on her table: various books describing the horrors of capitalism, defending Cuba's position in the Cold War and arguing the benefits of a socialist regime. Her table also boasts a flimsy sixteen-page newspaper ironically titled The Militant.

"Kids are starting to figure out how things really work," Betsy says with a confident smile as several more students glance at her stand as they walk by.

"How things really work" implies the injustices of capitalism, and America's bad habit of imposing its business enterprises on other nations.

Betsy is an activist from the era of social movements, Jimi Hendrix and the original Woodstock in 1969. She joined the Socialist Workers Party after witnessing the injustice of the American justice system.

"I saw how they [police] framed a group of young black men for rape, for murder," she said. "I saw then how things really worked."

And how is this linked to horrors inflicted by capitalism? Apparently, if farmers and workers run the show, no one will be oppressed and police brutality will cease.

While her intentions are good, Betsy must realize that much of her rhetoric is falling on capitalist ears. This generation is the product of capitalism, has reaped the benefits of the American economy that is now experiencing one of the most staggering peacetime economic booms in history.

But Betsy does in fact have something valuable to say - not socialism, social activism.

Our generation does not know the meaning of the word activism. While we still appreciate Hendrix's music, we aren't emulating the era that it came from.

Some may argue that we do not need to be activists, that the issues that Betsy faced in the 1960s and 70s no longer plague our generation.

Anyone who believes this must be living in a purple haze.

Racism didn't die with George Wallace; corruption didn't end when the Watergate scandal broke. Vietnam finally ended, but our government's desire to involve itself in other nations' affairs didn't.

If we ask the average teenager what she or he feels about the United Nations (a.k.a. the United States) involvement in East Timor, the average answer would be, "Huh?"

While the terms "Generation X" and "MTV Generation" have become cliched and antiquated, they are not without merit. We've sunken into a state of cynicism and complacency. Community service has become popular to pad resumes, rather than to bring about real change.

Trash talking is something our generation has learned to ignore, mainly because it is often unfounded. We don't all bring handguns to school (even though those are the kids that the media seem to love). We are not any more violent, aggressive, lewd or crude than our parents.

But we are complacent. We've inherited the past generation's music and pot, not their desire to bring about change.

Seeing Betsy at her stand every Wednesday as teems of students walk right by her is just a reminder of the difference between our generation and hers. We are still indifferent, living in a cushy peacetime economic boom, and she still has the enthusiasm to fight for a cause.

We ought to listen to Betsy - not necessarily what she is saying (unless we want to abolish capitalism), but how she is saying it. Society's problems did not disappear in the seventies; sadly, the spirit of people like Betsy did.