when i was in college, i had a huge red and black poster of che guevarra in my bedroom wall. it was a time when all the unrest started in the philippines. in pre-martial law days, i joined protests against the american imperialists (haha!) and the marcos regime unbeknownst to my parents. with all the protests that were going on, then president marcos suspended the writ of habeas corpus and instituted a curfew. the metrocom police (sort of like the RCMP here in canada) were constantly patrolling the colleges and nearby places where students gathered for meetings.
someone gave me a pin, bright red with the silhouette of mao tse tung etched in gold and the words "long live the thoughts of mao tse tung" and i wore it like a badge of honour. one afternoon walking home from school with a couple of guys, we were discussing the news of the past days when a patrol car of the metrocom stopped us. one of the officers asked me what my pin was about. i said it's just a pin. reading the inscription, i was told i'm a communist. the two guys with me (they were very intelligent people who could discuss anything under the sun or moon; expelled from the state university for their roles in instigating protests and rebellions) protested and engaged the officers into an exchange.
needless to say after a few minutes thankfully with only verbal lashings, we were carted off to the municipal hall. we were being "processed" when one of the local police detectives, who happened to be one of my father's drinking buddies, recognized me. he started talking to me asking if my parents knew what i had been up to. at seeing and recognizing him, i realized that i wouldn't be able to hide my subversive activities from my parents. i was panic stricken. if my father knew what i've been up to, i'd be beaten and would be pulled out of school. so the detective, knowing my father's temper hauled me to the mayor's office. the mayor happened to be the brother of our landlord so mr. mayor knew and recognized me. mr. mayor and the detective tried to convince the metrocom officers that they knew me and that i wasn't really a trouble maker. after much questioning - it was a realization that although we studied mao tse tung and world history, i really didn't know his thoughts that was being exalted in my precious pin, more so what communism was exactly about. hey, they only had to mention that in communist russia they rationed toilet paper, and it was enough for me to denounce communism. so with the mayor's guarantee that i am actually a good, albeit a little bit misguided, girl, i was absolved of any suspicion of inciting any uprising.
as i grew older (i was 17 at the time), i realized the folly of protesting and not knowing exactly what i was protesting about. i started reading about marxism, wars, and more history of nations where unrest and rebellions were happening, and came to understand that what the ideals of mao, lenin, castro et al were being twisted by those who know to lure the little people with less education and knowledge into their fold.
p.s. - you must know that for all my dislike of the americans at the time, my first husband was an american. i know, big punishment! :-P
this was supposed to be my five plus two posting for the "rebellion" theme this week. but it didn't come out how i wanted it to be, even after too much etsooi, but it's good enough to be on my album as i have nothing for today.
Thank you for sharing this story of your life. I wish you could talk to many of the young people in the United States today. I believe much of their protests are based on a twisted agenda by those who know to lure the little people being educated by liberal educators in liberal colleges that lean very strongly towards socialism.
It's always important to understand the issues and make wise decisions about what we choose to support or protest. Education is key to being able to think critically, weigh information, and make decisions with full knowledge that align with your values. Your story highlights the importance of knowledge and education so well.
Yes it is an amazing story and just shows that at 17, we really don't know all that is going on around us and we just follow the crowd because it is a "cool" thing to do.
Not very nice times and an awfully frightening experience. Yet, the photo seems to say: maybe not for communism, but fighting for something you believe in (and possibly you know...) is doing the right thing!
Wow, quite a story!!! i think its quite common that folk join things on the info value of a slogan or some such, only later do we decide to research and learn more before forming our opinions.
Sorry I thought I had issued you a challenge on Sunday but it obviously did not save. I know it is quite late but if you still want a challenge what about taking a photograph using Dutch Tilt (which I have used a few times) as in Flash of Red week 3 one of the assignments is Orientation. I hope you can return the favour by challenging me to something - as I am mostly using film there have been none uploaded for a while.
Cute title and a fabulous album cover. You definitely look like a rebel and I feel like this is a great picture for the theme. it is awesome processing and would fit in with an ETSOOI challenged if there's one running right now
@skipt07@ruthmouch@henrir Vikki, that's so interesting you were "drawn in"! I agree with Skip, Ruth and Henri that our brains aren't fully formed at 17 and (sadly) ripe to latch on to a slogan and join the band! Ken and I went to an ultra liberal university in the 60's and "observed", but didn't join. Still, when we married and moved to Texas, some people found us to be "liberal" though we hadn't changed our positions! So often "perspective" colours everything! Ron @stray_shooter haha! Oh, and Vikki, the image is certainly well done. I most definitely couldn't carry that one off in a believable manner!
Love it.
My thoughts: Of course, as a teenager, you do not know everything about this world. But it is a good thing if the youth is committed to an idea. And your photo: great, creative. The statement (for me): cultivate critical reflection and protest, if appropriate. If it is necessary, say: stop!
My thoughts: Of course, as a teenager, you do not know everything about this world. But it is a good thing if the youth is committed to an idea. And your photo: great, creative. The statement (for me): cultivate critical reflection and protest, if appropriate. If it is necessary, say: stop!