Thursday, March 17, 2005

Rebels Without a Clue

The Houston Chronicle carried a story the other day about quiet rebellions. Seems people feel helpless about the major things and are frustrated enough with the little things that they are exercising their right to rebel. How?

Well, one guy always orders a small at Starbucks even though he knows he's supposed to call it a tall. Seems that whole grande, vendi thing just steams him.

Another one asks Dominos to deliver a small even though he knows there's no such thing at Dominos. It's the little things that mean so much, don't you think?

A woman always selects zero out of the computerized voice message options because it will take her to a human. Even when she knows the extension, she chooses mankind over machine.

If all those cards falling out of a magazine have you on a tear, you could copy the guy who saves them up and once a month returns each and everyone of the postage paid cards -- without a single piece of information included on the card. He's satisfied in knowing that they still have to pay. Yet another guy wasn't satisfied that his message was getting across when he did the same thing with junk mail so he started stuffing the envelopes with as much weight as possible so the postage would be higher. He swears his mailbox is lighter now.

While I appreciated how out of control many of these people felt, "I never minded about the little things" (I'm quoting Ann Bancroft's character from an 80s flick) and so mostly I just marveled that they would take the time to take a stance.

I did admire one group however. The article also included the story of Poland's Solidarity Movement. Seems when the government took control of the televised newscasts, people took to the street during the broadcasts and made sure that they were visible by wearing their caps backwards as they strolled. When enough folks were doing it to garner the government's attention, a curfew was established for the exact time of the nightly broadcasts. Not to be topped, the people simply turned their sets on and placed them on the windowsills, facing the street where the only people who could watch would be the police enforcing the curfew!

Made me wonder what would I make my voice be heard for? I attended an awareness event last night calling for an outcry against what is going on in the Sudan. While I appreciated the enthusiasm of the young adults who organized the event, I don't have this compelling sense that letters to congress (or President or UN) are going to make that much of a difference.

I think I'm a rebel in search of a cause.

No comments: