Hey everyone, I got the 'writing bug' in me, so I just hashed out a rough draft of a possible Op-Ed piece in response to Friedman.
Hope you like it, let me know what you think, and thanks! -- Zach Shaheen
Please, now that we are starting to focus in on our action plan, I would love if anyone would like to refocus this draft of the Op-Ed piece. I know that anyone who happens to read my first draft has a least a couple things they would like to change in this!
Thanks, Zach Shaheen - College of St. Benedict / St. John's University, Minnesota 2009
To Mr. Thomas Friedman, we young Americans object to being placed under such a discretionary label. We are the generation that needs to find definitive boundaries in everything we encounter. We need plausible and equitable solutions in every problem inherent in the world. But most importantly, we will not stand to remain under the subjective designation of Generation Q. No Mr. Friedman, we realize that we are much more important than that: we are Sine qua non.
We are the generation that without which, there is nothing.
Without us, the emerging progressive and egalitarian movements would not survive.
We are the group of individuals, who together, will move mountains and realign our earth in ways never before imagined. We are the essential cog in the progressive machine that fuels initiative, sparks passion, and energizes action towards real solutions. You see, our generation is much more than quietly active. During the day, we storm our volunteer centers, working tirelessly to impact the lives of our neighbors and change our community environment. Our break consists of quietly exploring the web, working to build connections and ideas over Facebook, and YouTube, so that we may better arm ourselves with idealism each new day of service. Then, each night we roll up our sleeves and plunge into the depths of politics. We door-knock, phone-bank, advocate issues, and reach out to our communities and representatives.
You may not see our actions, but every day we live it. To those from the outside, our legacy may be quiet. But we are Sine qua non. We are the backbone of each new movement that is destined to improve our society. Our movement grows each day. And soon, when our foundation is set, we will outgrow your term of endearment, “Generation Q.” We are going to be the roar that shakes inequality, and we are going to be the muscle that tears apart the outdated status-quo. We are going to be far from the Quiet Generation, and our actions are going to leave a permanent mark on world society.
So, for those of you that refrain from joining our cause for action, and stay disengaged from volunteer service and political activism, we only ask you this: each moment you have, in which noise eludes you, remember that it the sound of the Quiet Generation at work. Because one day you will wake, only to realize that the world has forever changed. You will admire our product, and wish that you could have been a part of the Generation that changed the world, Sine qua non.