My first week in France, I saw the storming of the Bastille.
Granted, it wasn’t thousands of Parisians angry with the king and searching for the arsenal, but a handful of students angry at the government’s plan to raise the retirement age and climbing on the statue commemorating the demolished prison, but the symbolism was analogous.
In 1789, the raid marked the beginning of the French Revolution. This time, it rang in three months of strikes, protests and university blockades.
And while this tumultuous period had its share of less-than-charming moments, I think it’s time we learned a thing or two from the French—especially as university students.
The French revolutionary spirit has been alive and well for about 300 years, while our revolutionary spirit died in, well, about 1783.
I can’t think of a single time in recent American history that so many students have actively engaged in some cause or another, much less kept informed of them. It’s not like we’re short on possibilities. The economy is still stagnant, the cost of tuition is continually rising while employment rates for recent college graduates are pretty grim, and there’s the perpetual fear of more war.
All the while, French students are up in arms about two extra years of employment.
In no way am I in favor of setting our high schools on fire or refusing to go to class—I really don’t know if either is very effective for gaining support for a cause—but continuing to do nothing can only be viewed as a concession.
We can’t even get it together enough to vote—one of the simplest and most effective ways of having our voices heard.
When I read in The Maroon last week that only 33 percent of Loyola students voted in the midterm elections, I was embarrassed. Not just because two-thirds of students didn’t vote, but also because I was part of that shamefully large (note to editors: I don’t think numbers can be large…) number.
I could go on and try to justify all the reasons I didn’t vote, but I really don’t think it matters at this point. What does matter is that it was a crucial election, with results that will considerably affect our future, and I—and many others—didn’t participate.
Now, the results are in and there’s no way I can reasonably complain about the way things turned out.
Perhaps what’s more embarrassing is that many of the people I have met here in France seem to have kept up more with American politics than most of us Americans have. I think we forget that, as my professor reminded me last week, our policies will significantly affect the rest of the world as well.
Clearly, the situation locally and abroad is far from ideal right now. As university students, I think it is our responsibility to stay informed and engaged.
We can have our opinions in favor or against the current political climate in France—the whole conflict is, in all honesty, pretty nuanced—but one thing, I believe, is certain: French students do not sit back and acquiesce when it comes to their future. We, in the United States, shouldn’t either.
Masako Hirsch is studying abroad in the Normandy region of France.
She can be reached at
In My Opinion is a weekly column open to any Loyola student. Those interested in contributing can contact
