Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Playing Left Wing

I finally got around to reading my friend Yves Engler’s 2006 book, Playing Left Wing: From Rink Rat to Student Radical. I highly recommend it...especially for younger readers (say, 16-24) just finding their way onto the meaningful path of rebellion.

An excerpt:

“Maybe all of us are outsiders in one sense or another. Maybe no one fits in completely, no matter where you are. And it sure is a lot more fun to be around people with a willingness to be different, to think critically, to strive for the truth, to challenge authority, and try to make the world a better place. I’d choose that over boring old conformity any day. I choose to conform with the non-conformists. I choose to be an insider with the outsiders. I choose to challenge authority, including the authority of those challenging authority.

“In real life, there is usually a price to pay when someone speaks the truth to the rich and powerful. Still, I would argue, there is a much bigger price to pay if no one has the courage to do it: The world would never change for the better.”

This got me thinking about something from Cornel West