I’ve been very outspoken here, about my love for my family.  But there is one thing we definitely do not agree on: politics.  Most of my family is extremely conservative Republicans, while I would currently classify myself as about as liberal as they come.  My parents didn’t really think it was necessary to expose me to both sides of an issue as a kid, so I grew up with a pretty narrow world view.  But I went to a fantastic women’s college in Massachusetts where I was exposed to every view point you could imagine, even though some family members would swear that it was a Democrat brain-washing machine.  As a result, I realized that my personal beliefs in mutual respect, public service, aid to the disadvantaged, civil rights for ALL, and a separation of church and state were more embraced by the Dems than the party I’d grown up with.  But I still didn’t make the official switch until after 9/11, when I saw first hand how the government was reacting to the attacks and didn’t like it one bit.

Another political first that I experienced in college was the act of protest.  My family has robust discussions of what needs to be done for our government to work properly, but I can not remember a time where any of them took action in support of those beliefs.  While in college, I marched in support of women’s rights, gay rights and educational issues.  I was even involved in a sit-in to protest new college policies that would negatively affect financial aid and admissions decisions, as well as the diversity of the college.  While not all of our activities led to sweeping change, the sit-in did pave the way for negotiations on some of the issues with which we were concerned.  I saw the value of speaking up, first hand.  As an adult, my demonstrations have usually been more individualized.  For example, I have never shopped at Walmart because of my beliefs about their employment practices and consumerist policies.  But I also marched in protest of the RNC in 2004, so my “stand up and shout” belief system is still relevant.

While the current political landscape of our country is something that deeply concerns me, what excites me is how vocal people have become.  While I do NOT think that the Tea Party represents the best interests of the people, I respect the group’s right to gather, demonstrate, and speak out.  (I draw the line when the discussion becomes racist and/or homophobic, though.)  I was a little concerned when the Occupy Wall Street demonstration began because I worried that it lacked focus, but over the last couple of weeks it has grown into a nation-wide movement, with Occupy camps in cities across the country.  People are being forced to listen and to acknowledge that our system might not be working for a good portion of Americans.

The Occupy Philly camp has gotten a lot of attention from the national media, as it is one of the most organized camps outside of the Wall Street contingent, and there have been very few issues with the police or city government.  There appears to be a core group of protesters who are there 24-7, but welcome those of use who have jobs or families that might prevent us from coming for more than a few hours on a weekend.  I’ve been wrestling with the idea of heading down there this weekend, with my husband and with Charlie, to explore the camp and expose Charlie to the power of a movement and what it can accomplish.  Yes, Charlie’s only six months old and yes, he might end up feeling differently about politics when he’s older, but I don’t want him to grow up never knowing about these things, like I did.  On the other hand, I worry about being swept up into something that turns violent or otherwise dangerous.  Part of me thinks that this particular Occupy camp is pretty family-friendly (they even have a special tent for nursing!), but another part of me remembers what I saw go down between NYPD and RNC protesters in 2003 and I just don’t know.  I’m just so jazzed that average Americans are taking a stand and I want Charlie to see what could be an important part of our nation’s history.

Without starting a political discussion, what do you think about exposing kids to the act of protest?  Is there a place for our youngest citizens in the Occupy – or other political – movement?