When did protesting become an attention-seeking publicity stunt?

In 1967, folk singer Joan Baez and 40 others were arrested in Oakland for protesting the Vietnam War. What they did was an important move that stirred a nation to react to a terrible conflict.

Forty years later, David Santos, a 15-year-old high school student, put on an orange jumpsuit, walked onto the SF State campus and protested the Iraq war. The fact that he decided to do this on September 11 added to his idiocy. That Santos was nine years old when the towers were hit is no excuse for his failing to understand the gravity of the date.

What ensued last week was a melee of insults and diatribes from students of all political backgrounds. The results of the memorial service casually spit on the graves of the people who died in the biggest American tragedy of our lifetime, while pissing on the soldiers currently fighting in the Iraq war.

Baez’s actions inspired a generational culture shift that would shape the late 60s and 70s. All Santos achieved was getting ignorant college students up in arms. He also gave the manipulative hosts of the event the media attention they crave and they played along to satisfy their unquenchable thirst for their false sense of importance.

How dare you pull this shit on Sept. 11?

It wouldn’t surprise me if the College Republicans and Democrats who held the remembrance reacted just to get onto Fox News. Their arrogant shouting, posturing and pandering to the students in attendance were because they were too scared that their unwanted and unrelated opinions would be drowned out by college apathy.

These 60s-movement-wannabes are no different from the Born Again Christians that march onto this campus every few months to get everyone stirred up. Leigh Wolf, an organizer of the event, was the very same person who a year ago stomped on sacred flags so that people would take pictures of him, and so Fox News would come talk to him. For some people, MySpace fails as an adequate form of narcissism. Wolf was likely pleased when another call to appear on “The O’Reilly Factor” came in: mission accomplished for the self-serving conservative “activist.”

Of course college students should voice their opinions, and there are numerous ways to go about it. I fully intend to back a presidential candidate who I honestly believe will do something to bring an end to this war. I will volunteer for his campaign. I will write my legislators. I will write columns expressing my concerns. But I won’t smear the memories and names of people better, braver and less fortunate than myself.

I am not against protesting, but protesting in such a distasteful way on such an important date is just out of line. Santos’ provoking those students in the quad was the intellectual equivalent of taunting a rabid dog.

Protests in the 60s and 70s were essential to the growth of this country. They were communicating to a nation. I wish protests today would have the same weight and effect, but it is people like Wolf and Santos who cheapen the whole process and embarrass those who may otherwise share their goals.