Exciting news! Sorta. Well, I thought so. A shift in where I post the blogs begins now, for reasons as named in the first/second entries of the brand new blog. To save you from any further reading, I'll just say check out kidsinangryfacepaint.blogspot.com for updates.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here I am, tying the title of one post into the next and the title of the second into its post body. This blog is just going to drive you bananas, isn't it? Progress comes, and the small steps often create the most of it in the long run. What am I thinking about? Activism in general.
As I'm preparing for my two-week trip to Serbia that has youth activism at its focus and am drafting a letter to my local representatives concerning net neutrality, the plastic bag ban and funding for charter schools, I have to reflect on the progress I've made. Yes, by preparing for my trip I actually mean sitting around writing as I fight off the tail end of the cold I got over the weekend, but that's beside the point. What's really got me thinking isn't the fact that I feel like my throat is so dry and scratchy that talking too much may spark a fire- what has me thinking is more along the lines of how much progress I've made and how long it's taken. Even more than that, I'm thinking about my friends and peers that have complimented and admired me throughout. Earlier today I found myself thinking. . . Where are they? On the lonely, long nights and days of the beginning of the research and website, the question wasn't one I asked. Of course I was doing it on my own. I hadn't been aware enough to have an interest in this a few weeks ago, so why would they? As the context of the situation changed, the question occurred to me in passing, perhaps, but I never committed more than a fleeting second to it. I was too busy trying to get things rolling to wonder about what anybody else was doing. Like a shadowy villain stalking an innocent victim, I airily went along my way, sensing but ignoring the question that hauntingly dogged my footsteps. Now, it seems, the question has finally caught up. For quite a while, the preliminary everything has been in place. The website is up, and though content is still edited when I come up with more inspired wording, I'm satisfied with it. The facebook page continues to garner handfuls of new followers every few weeks. Posters are accessible and I've colored hundreds of print-outs myself. Why, then, the feeling of standing in a big, fat field of nothing and nobody? The work was rewarding and I could do it on my own time. The commitment led me to all sorts of growth, allowed me to develop a sense of purpose and learn from my mistakes as well as loosen the chains of young angst that come to bind you when you wake up from infancy, open your eyes and note to yourself, "Oh. It certainly does look like everything is going wrong with the world." Granted, some people never wake up from the small bubble, or never get farther than poking their heads out and quickly retreating again, but that isn't the case for most people I know. Why, then, did I see nobody standing anywhere but behind me? Countless people giving me looks of approval and not a soul to battle out ideas with or challenge me to create new ones. For a long time I resigned myself to being an oddball for my motivation and that people would come along in time. Unfortunately, or perhaps I'm unfortunately tardy in this, I grow impatient. So what if some people haven't found the motivation or clawed their way to finding their potential? What about the people I knew and my friends that had grown to respect my attributes? They were stirred, so it's not as if they had no feelings on any issue, but I had yet to see any save a tiny few take it anywhere. What made all of them say to me that they wished they were like me, but weren't? It was then that I realized I was drafting my first ever spur-of-the-moment, no-forwarded-petition-text letter to my representatives. I began to wonder why it had taken me so long. It's not as if I hadn't had feelings and ideas before today. It was thanks to my participation in my school's Youth & Government program that I had finally felt confident in doing it. I chuckled a bit when I realized that it had taken this many months and steps since my mother first began encouraging me to write to our local politicians probably years before. It's approaching a year since I started this boycott campaign, and I'd done just about everything within my power, except something as basic as writing your representatives, to become involved in activism. Granted, my progress was somewhat unconventional in the path, but despite a lack of convention it had been, undeniably, a process. I hadn't magicked myself onto an activism pedestal- I changed myself slowly over time to create a person. It was just me taking the leap from the area where I felt most comfortable jumping blindly off of, and it just so happens that it wasn't where most people would start. There were definite disadvantages, but it has been one of the most formative leaps of my life. I could never live passively again, and I hope people join in. Moral of the story? I'm sick, exhausted, and needed to write something long and ramble-y so that nobody misses me for the two weeks I'm in Serbia. At least, that's my excuse for a winding post that has no end (and if it does, I'm too deliriously tired and headache stricken to recognize it. I was doing fine with this cold with tea and vitamin C to keep it on it's hands and knees, but). Indeed, it does, regardless of whether or not you have to drag it tooth and nail away from the tremendous amount of work it takes to conjure it. Posters are coming up, and while in Salem I got a tiny bit of networking done. Just a little, but any news is good. We hang posters and have conversations, oh yes we do.
After all this time spent reaching as many people as I can, I find I'm still falling back on my closest friends. I enjoy that a lot. Getting together to draw and scan posters, brainstorm ideas and compare notes makes this kind of work fun. I encourage you to find some awesomely like-minded friends that you can click with sometime. The cool thing about these guys is that soon, I plan on baking a batch of cookies and calling everyone so we can brood over them and come up with more creative ideas. Posters are easy and incredibly fun, but I feel like I've forgotten my creativity for the boycott for the time being. It shall be retrieved and come back with a force greater than a thousand suns. I was going to be a million, but that's kind of overkill. Well, not really. Watch out, Coca-Cola. Essentially, that's the update. I just wanted to take the time to put it into a blog post versus a status message so that I could bust out some whimsical language on you guys and turn a phrase or two. Maybe even make a pun. . .No, I'll let that go for a bit. I heard enough of those at the Youth and Government conference in Salem. Motion to hear more of the Senate President's puns? Saved by the arrival of the Youth Governor. Anyway. We're having a fancy poster my friend Sasha made involving giraffes that shall be on the website soon. Check back regularly for a poster that tempts you to print it out. I promise eventually there will be some that suit even your refined tastes. Yes, it may seem strange that out of all the things I've done so far that putting up and passing out large stacks of posters hasn't been one of them. I try to overcome my failures and procrastinations one step at a time and this one is, apparently, the next to go.
I finally got access to a printer! Not a color one, mind you, but there have been some upsides to that, as I mentioned in the status. One of them is (although sometimes an inconvenience) being able to explain to the small gathering of people why exactly you're coloring in hundreds of hateful unicorns. The other is that someone may actually come up to you and ask for a few because of the fact they're going to be bored in their next class. A third, which wasn't mentioned, is that acquaintances and people who've been meaning to get around to talking to you but haven't found the time yet, tend to offer to take a stack and put them around. A small victory perhaps, but oh is it sweet. Small as this post was short, but there will be more to come. It turns out firefox doesn't get along with Weebly very well, so I've installed Chrome. Problem solved! I just fee Especially when they could use a little work. Still, as we work on plans of plastering our old schools with boycott posters, there seems to be a little bit of hope for me. In this brief entry, I'm just covering what's going on plan-wise. I've got a few businesses to personally see about poster-hanging and any chance at participation. Any place you visit semi-regularly is a place to start, for anyone thinking of doing the same. With a mentally taxing past few days, I'm almost lost for words. (How could that ever happen? Even I don't know.) Still, with the encroaching new year, I've got some resolutions to work on, including more posting. It'll start. Oh yes, it will.
As a resolution for anyone else, well, there are a lot of options, aren't there? Even though I'm sure many with chaotic lives have long lists involving a few repeats, and some of the more peacefully minded still have their plates full, it can't hurt to tack on a little P.S. about the boycott. Whether it's to be stricter with your product consumption, to hang that poster you've been meaning to, or to finally send that e-mail to your aunt or uncle, there's always a first step to take (and sometimes a long-delayed third). For me, this is something I take seriously because I've been able to learn a lot about many aspects of life through the discipline and thought necessary so far. I recommend it for any timid (or brave) soul in need of learning and inspiration. Activism and consumer-revelation revolution business aside, all have my wishes for a healthy, hopeful, healing new year. Let's make it one full of inspiration and errors born of trials, with bandages for every painfully scraped knee. From here in Portland, I hope everyone has a great time. If any unfortunate has hard nights like I've had, do something silly like read this again and know that I'd be more than willing to give you a big hug (or a pat on the back if you're not a huggy type of person). - Josie (that One Teen) I'm also lazy. I haven't been posting the update blogs I've sworn to myself I would, but worry not, fair citizen. It has been taunting the back of my mind like a parasitic disease, gnawing at my cerebellum as I go about my day to day existence. Hither and yonder I wander, boycott workings implanted in my brain like a pesky seed that spreads its translucent roots from my primary somatosensory cortex on to my frontal and temporal lobes. It's agony.
It doesn't help that I've been preoccupied with an application to a Serbia trip and that every time I try and work on the website, the internet decides it doesn't like that plan. Filthy corporate drone. It took me twenty minutes of persistence to load it today. I just haven't had that sort of time as of late, but no longer. Now, onto the official business. We have a new French translation page up and a new Italian one on the way. If anybody is fluent in German, Dutch, Polish, Turkish, Pirate English or L33t and thinks the translation would be a piece of cake (or a pizza cake, whichever you prefer), send it to [email protected] and you will shortly receive many mad props. In other news, I've been scrambling to come up with more posters. The time has come for us to begin printing off what we have and hanging them in appropriate areas (I intend to put Sasha's unicorn poster up by my sister's middle school). If anybody is artistically inclined, doodle inclined, boredom inclined, or in possession of a spare five minutes in which they can stencil out block letters, consider yourself implored to do so. In return I will gladly post a link to any deviantart or similar art portfolio, or just let everybody know that you're made of crazy awesome. That's right: five minutes and a few block letters invested in a boycott poster infuses the very fiber of your being with mad cool. It's completely easy to do. Come up with a catchy boycott phrase (if you can't think if anything, send an e-mail to the aforementioned e-mail address, [email protected], or hit up the facebook discussion board and watch us rush to your aid like evil henchmen), take out a piece of pencil, paper, and a ruler/stencil if you so choose, and write that sucker down. From there you can add shadowing, a border, or a miscellaneous doodle that may or may not be related to the boycott. It's your call. Adding more posters would actually make an incredibly large difference. It allows people to print out even four or five and post them in strategically chosen places. Everyone needs to step up and do something to get this out in the open. Making a poster enables people to do so anonymously since many find anonymity comfortable. It makes them daring. Why do you think superheros like it so much? Because anonymous is synonymous with mysterious and really, really cool. Do it. On a slightly different note. . .The discussion boards. Get on them. I'm blogging (if I did it a little more regularly, I might even be called a blogger), rallying and organizing, each to different degrees on different days and often in different and scatterbrained ways. You, too, can be a scatterbrain. Every idea and question you have is relevant and worthwhile. You don't have to log in every day or even every week. There isn't any amount of time you're forced to commit and no stark pile of work you're chained to if you want to get involved. Whatever works for you and your schedule. Oh, and, 16+ cool points to the first twenty people to get talking. Additionally, I'm going to be throwing in weeks here and there where we focus on bringing the message to specific crowds. Sunday, December 12th (today) through Sunday, December 19th is Aunts and Uncles Week! Send a letter, set up brunch, or send an e-mail to anywhere from your favorite to most tolerable of uncles and aunts! You can write a long and detailed explanation of why it's important to you, a pleasantly mid-sized message about why it's relevant and interesting, or more likely a short three sentences and a link to the website (and facebook page if they use facebook). So that nobody's lost for words, here are a few points you can throw in there when you're talking to someone about it: The boycott is: - Of, by, and for those who want to do their part against unethical corporate practices around the world. - Specifically targeting Coca-Cola due to the history of and ongoing offenses against the environment and human rights in addition to relentless marketing and false advertising. Skim the website again so you have some specific things to cite. - Comprised of all age groups (One Teen [me] is fifteen. Play the card if it will get them interested) Excited to see where this goes! "Major changes, you say?"
Why, yes. On the one hand, they're really not that big. On the other, they could prove to be a pain in my rear end and are hopefully going to bring on bigger changes. The lateness aspect of this entry is just that there hasn't been one in a while, which I'm currently remedying. Maybe it was a little irrelevant. Moving on. Designing the website this summer was, as rewarding a project as it continues to be, a bit of a chore. It was mainly a chore because I had to motivate myself to do research and writing reminiscent of the essays I had just barely been freed of for a few short months and nobody to remind me that it wasn't actually an essay. There wasn't anyone at that point sharing in my excitement, editing over my shoulder or offering creative ideas. There wasn't even anyone keeping me company. To the credit of anyone who would have, it would likely have kept me from doing any work. The finishing touch was naming the site. It felt important. It had to be a catchy name so that people would remember it. It should have been something that could appeal to anybody, regardless of any number of factors. When the name "oneteenvscoke" came into mind, I tossed it around with my mom and a couple of friends. Unanimously, it caught attention but didn't seem misleading or sensationalist (as opposed to an earlier idea, "COCA-COLA-KILLS-EVERYONE!!!!11!11!!!!one1!!!111!!1"). Because I was the only person who had worked on the website, done the research and launched this project, the name was also an adequate representation of what the whole thing was. It fit the bill in every respect and so it was chosen. This summer I was a lone high school student slaving over a laptop in the merciless heat that didn't happen in Portland this year, but that's no longer anywhere near the story. With over 300 members to date in cities across the globe, this isn't just about me anymore. I'm one in a growing number who has decided to take it upon themselves and shout a rallying cry, not just one. This boycott isn't exclusive. An inclusive movement is the only way we can be successful, taking all the time and creative energy those involved are willing to commit. OneTeen served its purpose, but it's time for a new name. Truth be told, I don't have one yet. There are a few options that I'm deliberating between and am still coming up with small changes to all of them on a regular basis. That's procrastinator's speak for "I haven't had time to sit down and concentrate on it and the most progress I've made was as the teacher struggled to reign in a rowdy math class earlier today", so feel free to start up a thread on the facebook page's discussion tab with some names you could get behind. I'll probably chime in with my thoughts. Also, while OneTeen is preparing to pass the torch to the new name, whatever its form may be, I don't think it's going to disappear entirely. The website will change but the blog won't, that's likely if not certain. Frankly, I'll probably figure that out when I actually begin renaming stuff. That's all I've got and am too tired and overloaded for an original remark, so, uh, good night and good luck, boycotters. Why, I've been so busy rustling up purple outfits for these days of spirit and keeping up with presentations in Leadership class that I haven't had time to post any updates. If you've been following the facebook feed, you'll know that we've had the first of our new posters uploaded to the website! However, our big new headline may be one you've already noticed. There's a new tab in town, and it's here to stay.
One of the perks to being busy with school is befriending my peers who speak other languages. Thanks to my friend Alessandro, an exchange student hailing from Italy (who is crazy awesome), I have the first translation page posted. All part of my plot to take over the world, naturally. Another thing I'm making a big deal about is the boycott's group on Freerice. Join and play for us! We want to get as high on the leader-boards as we can. The group can be found here: http://www.freerice.com/content-group/coca-cola-boycotters We've seen a stir of activity that's threatening to just persist, which is excellent. Look forward to a more in-depth update and more sarcastic/melodramatic comments when I don't have to get up extra early the next day. To all a good night! I'm going to be honest. A magical pastel-colored Easter egg dropped onto my lap and (although it smelled sickeningly sweet, was tied up with a bow and I don't even celebrate Easter) I took it to my friend's garage. It took us a few weeks but we cracked it open. Glad we did, because out fell the boycott. It said:
"Hey, you're my first recruit. You're in charge." And disappeared in a flash of light. So really, this whole thing was started by a magical Easter egg whose voice sounded like Morgan Freeman's in an unoriginal but comforting way. You see? This is what happens when people don't discuss on message boards. I start telling random stories to pass the time. Which would be okay in theory, maybe even a little fun sometimes, but shouldn't be caused by mild aggravation with life not complying to my needs. By life I actually mean you guys, but with affection and love. Me knowing what methods of recruitment are working could really help me out. For instance, I haven't put a whole lot of time into posting notes because I don't know if it got anybody but Jeremy thinking about it and it can get time consuming. If it works, though, I'll definitely roll with it. (If I directly know you and got you into it myself, just throw something you've done that's worked out into the mix.) Moral of the story: Every miraculous phenomena sounds like Morgan Freeman, and you should go to the discussions tab, the thread titled "How did you get here?" and tell me how on Earth you got here. If it was even by way of Earth, that is. Extraterrestrials, I'm not going to discriminate. Every couple of days since school started, I've been approached by a member of my high-school staff concerning the boycott. It's circled around because during ice-breakers in a few classes at the beginning of the year, the boycott came up and some of my teachers checked it out. I also e-mailed a few that my friends said would really appreciate the idea. However, it quickly spread around the school and because I don't identify myself by name anywhere on the page, it was still widely unknown that I was a LEP student.
Knowing that this has been used in discussions during classes at my school, which it has been, is great. What's also great is seeing how many countries we have members in on the facebook page. However, of many of these countries we only have one or two. As I posted on the last status, I'm wondering if in the discussions tab we should set up a friendly competition. Obviously the disadvantage would be a general language barrier between English and non-English speaking countries. Luckily, I've got a solution. I'm going to draft a basic, one-page(ish) summary of the boycott including reasons for it, how to do it, etc. Then, hopefully with the help of people who could better translate than I (although I'm careful, speaking two languages myself I know that to do it right I have to do it the long, hard way instead of a translator) and then post it on a page so that there are various languages catered to. I'd love to translate the whole site, but being just me and having only a semi-solid grasp on either language I can communicate in (haha? Maybe. Or maybe it's just sad.), I don't have the time or ability. However, this will be coming ASAP regardless of whether or not people like the idea of a friendly competition (I repeat friendly because that's absolutely what it would have to be. But I know you guys are better than anything else). It's simply something I thought would be fun, but I do need to get right on the whole catering to other languages thing quickly and I shall. |
Just An Angsty Teen.
Age: 15 Archives
May 2011
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