A Captive Audience

I’ve got a problem with this. I am sitting in my American Foreign Policy class and the professor gave 15 minutes of class time to another professor to promote a bill sitting on the governor’s desk. No, let me rephrase that – he was campaigning for it. I hesitate to name the bill because I sure don’t want to appear insensitive – it’s one of those bills. The point is not what the proposed law says, but the forum it was given for its promotion.

It was a captive audience. There was nothing free about his speech – I paid for it. Either through my ever-increasing fees (there is no “tuition” in the California State University or the University of California systems – but everyone knows that!), or through my tax dollars, I paid for it. Those 15 minutes were mine, dammit!

Furthermore, it was not as though I was given an option to listen or not. There was no warning of the nature or the content of the “guest” speaker’s spiel. Attendance in that class, like so many others these days is required – my grade would suffer it I was not there. Even if I had known and opted out, the professor took role before the introduction of this camouflaged sales pitch. I was spending my money to be some place I had to be (or else) to listen to the Fuller Brush Man.

I have purposely left out which bill and its content because it makes no difference. In all likelihood, Governor Schwarzenegger will sign it. It has bi-partisan support. It has more symbolic effect than anything else. If I weren’t a journalist, I might have considered signing the post card passed out to us – under different circumstances; like if I had a choice whether to be there or not. It totally turned me off and reminded me of how I dislike so the idea that the ends justify the means.

It happens on the left and on the right. They preach of personal freedoms like free speech, but if someone says something personally, or worse, ideologically offending, they seem to believe it’s within their right – and the greater good – to silence that speech. Anti-war protestors shouting down those supporting it, in effect silencing opposition, because they believe they have the only right to moral superiority. And then all bets are off – the end justifies the means. I’m talking about the likes of Earth First and the even more scandalous Earth Liberation Front (ELF). On the other side are the KKK, Arian Brotherhood and the neo-Nazis.

It can catch even the most level headed in its deception. My foreign policy professor is a sharp cookie. Although the semester is very young, I have a good feeling about this guy – he doesn’t appear to have an ideological axe to grind. Perhaps it was due to professional courtesy that he allowed this professor from his department a soapbox to preach from. In his defense, he segued nicely from the sales pitch into lecture material – but it sure didn’t need, or benefit from, the public service announcement.

Ok, I’ve left you in the dark long enough. Maybe I’ve sold you and you’re wondering what specific bill could I possibly be referring to. I’ll tell, but remember, if you’ve accepted my premise thus far, it should not matter what the bill is. If we make exceptions for a “good” bill – where do we draw the line? It’s AB 2941. No need to look it up, I’ll save you the time. It prohibits two of the state’s employee’s retirement funds form being invested in companies that do business in Sudan.

Hate me now? Go ahead, I’m cool with that. Be a part of the myopic, lemming-like hypocrites. Make exceptions to further your greater moral cause. Indeed, perhaps the only thing immoral about this cause is the means of selling it – not the cause itself. I’m not denouncing the bill. I’m not saying it shouldn’t be signed. I’m saying that I don’t want to be sold anything when I’m in class.

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