Kernel: SOPA and PIPA protests show importance of students being proactive

The Kernel is back for yet another semester, and I hope to share even more opinions with you this spring semester. First and foremost, I must openly admit that I was uncertain just how to start off this semester for The Kernel. After all, there were a variety of issues that I felt were valuable and worth discussing this semester, such as the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, The New Hampshire's endorsement of Jon Huntsman, and  a variety of other issues that came about over the incredibly long winter break.

Yet when I came back to Durham and the University of New Hampshire, all that sort of fell by the wayside, since it felt like old news. So instead, I feel it is much more important for we as students to focus on an issue that affects each and every one of us, and that is how government treats the education system, and in particular the higher education system.

Now I fully intend to continue my "exploration" of how the higher education system got into this state over the last few years, but today I would much rather call out to the University of New Hampshire student body. I want us, as a student body, to be more proactive towards what is affecting us as a student body. Far too often people of our age demographic tend to simply shrug their shoulders at the notion of becoming political. In fact, many seem to laugh at the idea of becoming too political, thinking that politicians do more harm than good.

Whether that is or is not the case is not up for me to decide, but I do ask you whether or not politicians today would be capable of doing all of this harm if we as a people, as citizens of the United States of America, would actually pay attention to what is going on around us. Just look what happened with the SOPA and PIPA protests over winter break. That was a grassroots political movement which gained power through the use of passion and social media over an issue that the people thought was important. Imagine if the student body of the University of New Hampshire, let along the citizens of the United States of America, took that sort of stance every time something needed to be done. I feel as if we would hear a lot less griping in regards to today's politicians, and a lot more people being open to what is going in the political world around us.

So I hope that, after reading this edition of The Kernel, you reconsider any preconceived notions you may have had in regards to how the American political system works. History has shown that American citizens, especially college students, can have a powerful voice when we decide to use it. So with this being an election year it will be pivotal that we as a demographic take yet another stand.

Adam J. Babinat is a freshman journalism major who left Iowa for the first time to attend UNH. Email him at ajz222@unh.edu