Rights: Not So Infinite
by Abbey Moland
We have been bred into the knowledge that we have certain undeniable, indisputable rights. And, unless we are placed under some kind of dire circumstances, these rights can never be denied of us. It is our right to say what we think. It is our right to write what we think. It is our right to rebel. It is our right to question authority (and sometimes it is our duty). But sometimes, despite what we would like to think, a line must be drawn, WE are not right.
We can attempt to justify almost all of our actions through our rights-free speech, free press, freedom of choice and the pursuit of happiness. But people often forget that contrary to the rights we rely upon so highly to forge our arguments, there is also an eternal tie to morality, law, ethics and yes, even rules.
As a senior, I have developed a minor hatred and bitterness towards many of the rules that are placed upon me as both a student and a teenager. I question their legitimacy, rationality, and their purpose. And often times I feel like I have morphed into a stringed-puppet-mode and become a slave to the Marian handbook. But, because I attend Marian, I must wear a plaid skirt and a polo shirt that must be tucked in. I cannot dye my hair blue. I cannot get multiple face piercings. I must go on a retreat. I have to wear socks, despite my dislike for them. I hear complaints in the halls about how unfair a particular rule is or how it contradicts personal rights. But to put it quite bluntly, rules and certain rights are not options, which need to be contested. Maybe Marian is not the best option for the most self-righteous.
To exemplify this point, as part of the Westside rivalry, I would have loved to plaster the Crusader stands wearing a "senior night", black and red, non-transferable t-shirt to light-heartedly taunt opposing players and fans. Due to a concern that this might (and perhaps rightfully so) exemplify bad sportsmanship, the shirts were printed, but were and will not be allowed to be worn as part of Marian games or spirit days.
Contrary to popular student belief, Marian does and will always reserve the right to control all school related actions, regardless of what we believe we have a right to do, to say, to wear, etc. My spunky teenage liberalism screams that I should have taken a stand-possibly picketed outside of the school, hand-painted my own rendition of the rejected t-shirt, tattooed "non-transferable" on my forehead and then stood in the front row at the game.
But all Crusader basketball fanaticism aside, there are battles worth fighting. Maybe I just took one big bite of cynicism, but not everything that infringes upon rights or causes disagreement should be grounds for complaint, protest, and rebellion. We have an obligation to an extent, as part of the Marian community, to muffle our complaints and our hostility towards school policy.
The liberal in me will always love a good fight, but I have learned to choose my battles based on what really concerns my self-interest and that of others. I have learned that sometimes it is better to be oblivious to the petty, persecuted bandwagon of righteousness which has crept through the school, have come to recognize the level of subjectivity concerning the rights we contest so strongly as part of the American Dream. Sure, we have a right to question, to complain, and to defy. Sometimes, however, there comes a point when we must get off the self-righteous soapbox, go with the flow, accept school policy and be content in our self-induced "miserable oppression" as high school students.