A Warwick, NY high school student — and member of the Bruderhof community — created this stunning graphic for his school’s newspaper. From the Oct. 18 Times Herald-Record:
“You can’t be all that you can be if you’re dead. There are other ways to serve your country. There are other ways to get money for college. There are other ways to be all you can be.
THINK ABOUT IT. Before you sign your life away.”
The ad was created and paid for by a Warwick student who is a member of the Bruderhof community, a Christian-based communal order in Sugar Loaf that preaches pacifism. …
And, reports the newspaper for the Hudson Valley and Catskills, “[T]he ad has sparked controversy in the school district and the community and provoked lively First Amendment debates among students and teachers in the classroom.”
— Sent to me by Norma who spotted it at Blah3.
I work in the county goverment of Orange county, New York, where Warwick is located. It’s a very red county. I am amazed. Kudos.
Interesting. Have there been LTEs about this ad?
I’ll have to check for that.
It’s a tremendous ad – but frankly I’d rather it was running in other areas. That area sounds more like a place to run ads for Operation Yellow Elephant.
Those are great…and so, so true.
Bravo to this student for the courage and talent it took to do this ad. Let the children rise!
Let’s not forget the newspaper’s faculty adviser. S/he must have a lot of guts to back something like that in today’s climate.
Thanks Susan, I was so discouraged by the response to Second Nature’s diary for her son’s HS newspaper yesterday. This story cheers me with the thought that at least some high schools are encouraging their students to think and discuss.
What would it cost to put that ad in every school paper in the country?
Amazing ad.
(Though I’m not sure there are always other ways to get money for college.)
This is a killer ad (pun unintended).
It’s amazing to me that this is so controversial. High school papers take paid advertisements, just like real papers do. There’s no profanity. There’s nothing offensive. Just a different viewpoint. If we cant encourage healty discussion and dissent in high school, when can we? Wouldn’t we rather raise a generation of thinkers rather than young adults who blindly follow along without ever asking why?
Hi, my name’s Omir the Storyteller. You must be new here.</snark>
What you describe is the way a high school should be, and in the best cases still can be. That’s the way I like to think it was in my high school some 30 years ago. Unfortunately the trend in all too many schools has been to change the curriculum from English, Math, Civics, History, Art, Music and Physical Education to Sitting Still, Passivity, Paying Attention, Conforming and Doing Well On The Standardized Test.
What’s remarkable isn’t that this student spoke up. What’s remarkable is that nowadays we find the fact that he spoke up remarkable.
THat’s what I mean. My son is the editor of his high school newspaper and basically it’s just football, popular music, what’s in the cafeteria and a student or teacher profile.
Right now, my kid is working on a short article about the CIA leak, which he had to TALK his advisor into letting him do. Not that anyone will actually read it, but I’m awfully proud that he wanted to do it.
such men are dangerous.” — Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
What, are you nuts? You let them think…next thing you know, they’ll start questioning authority…and before you know it, they’ll start voting and all sorts of other subversive activities…hell, they might even turn off the video games and start READING, bless their hearts…
Think about it: why would you, as a teenager today, be encouraged to take an interest in political discourse when all you see is infighting, backstabbing, rigged elections, power grabs, dishonesty, bloviating…etc…
Now, you might think that’s EXACTLY why they should be engaged; to make the world a better place for themselves and their eventual children. But most teenagers are so turned off by the state of the country today that they have no interest in trying to change it, it seems fruitless to them.
If abortion rights get rolled back, or if the draft returns they’ll get a big wake up call. But for them right now, life is pretty damn comfortable.
I grew up on the other side of the Hudson and much much closer to NYC and I know that that area isn’t all to friendly to messages like this. I’m amazed that this got printed, even in a student high school paper.
Maybe this kid has a future ahead of him doing ads for people like the Gold Star Families for Peace. I certainly hope so.
Unfortunately speaking out seldom goes unpunished, by the kid’s peers if not the administration.
Great ad. How do we get this story on Olberman tonight (assuming there are no idictments today and he has time to talk about anything else).
Thanks susanhu.
BJ…email Olberman at the MSNBC site under Countdown. It has worked a couple of times and he seems to be hot right now to get to this administration. Go for it.
Dear Mr. Olbermann and Staff,
I have become a pretty big fan of your show, as you appear to be the only main stream media personality willing to report stories that challenge the government and corporate America (your employing network notwithstanding).
I was recently made aware of a story that might interest you. I read about it here:
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2005/10/19/103513/09
Basically, from my read on things, a young person at a high school has put forth a strong anti-war message and has been besieged for his or her efforts. As a person opposed to the war, and favoring free speech, I naturally tend to favor the young person’s point of view. I would love to see this young person be vindicated with some national media coverage on a show as entertaining as Countdown.
Thank you for taking the time to review my request. Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
fabulous BJ! Will follow up with one of my own once things settle down here at work. have a marvelous day!!!
I just sent off an email also with the link. That is an amazing ad and I’d certainly like to see it get some national exposure and generate some ‘thinking’.
I see by following the link that this high school student is Christian belonging/believing in pacifism…helping to remind me that not all Christians are of the Robertson/falwell/dobson ilk.
That’s just fucking amazing and poignant (yes, I used fucking and poignant in the same sentence…). Wow.
This really pisses me off.
We need a strong, dedicated VOLUNTEER military, and that volunteer military should be filled with young men and women dedicated to the honorable cause of serving their country.
But the Bush Administration has changed everything. In the post-9/11 era, it should be as honorable as any time in history to serve. Instead, one has to be worried about dying for a dishonorable war. The harm this continues to cause to our national security in the form of a military stretched to its limits with soldiers, sailors, and airmen desperately wanting out cannot be overstated.
I am proud to have six years in the military, and angry that I cannot in good faith encourage young men and women to make the same commitment.
Exactly. What honor is there in dying for a dishonorable war?
I would lay down my life to ensure a safer world for my children, but this war isn’t that cause.
Good one Susan. I loved this one.
Nothing pisses off faux Christians more than pacifism.
Excellent ad. I’ve always loathed the military “be all you can be” propaganda. Because, very often, all the modern military makes you into is an obedient, authoritarian drone. That’s what the entire training system is designed to create. And that’s exactly the wrong thing for modern warfare and modern society.