One thing that always seems to be missing from these stories is a mention, however brief and in-passing, that all that hard work, sacrifice, death, and resistance WORKED. The world is a better place (mentioned in this article), CONGRATULATIONS (not mentioned) and THANK YOU (not mentioned, but given the perspective, possibly it would have been impolite to do so).

Seriously, the fact that young people today cannot conceive of the terrible times of the past is a huge indicator of massive success – you made the world a better place!

I remember a debate in a socialist student organization near the mid 90’s where I issued about life-safety during protests (I just happened to live -as an outsider- a spontaneous and very violent strike around a market in West Africa only a few months before that). Few realised they were in for revolution to the condition it wasn’t too bad, that is, they were in to look like commies (I was on another scale and for free, or just in for the sake itself).

And guess what? I was their side of argument too. The very fact is that today, there are few reasons to lose your life in a protest, because at the very heart issues are way down what they were only decades ago. At the cost of efficiency unfortunately.

A friend of mom (at activist times) immolated himself and died in protest against Biafra war. Not exactly the same than being shot dead inadvertantly because of protesting. Still, this makes the issue about commitment crucial, not only because Biafra is largely unknown to teens today (I met a Biafran women when in the UStates and she was really surprised I knew about her land), and we all need to evaluate what’s up when doing things.

Grand Dad was shot on strike, asking for an increase in wage that I would probably not even consider wise enough to struggle for today (today that I don’t risk anything in protesting). In these times, that meant more bread. And that was a meaningfull difference.

Dad could have died for sexual freedom, which currently allows me and my natural family to live like anyone else without suffering from disbelieving in old social norms and peer pressure to marry.

All that is free for me, but still not enough common sense, or worse, increasingly disavowed in the population.

But in the very near is not the end. Maybe just the time we go back to fight back meaningfully.