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As a college student, it is not uncommon to be able to attend events that you usually would not at home. Fortunately, there is no shortage of meetings and events to drown myself in. However, it is relatively uncommon to meet 2 people, one of whom is high-profile, in a 24-hour span with less than 3 days of planning involved.
Both speakers were wildly different and had different issues that they wanted to bring to the audience's attention. Both, even if this statement is controversial, did a magnificent job of conveying their message to the thousands of audience members present.
Originally, I was not planning on saying anything public about this. But then again, I am at that age where everyone must have an opinion a la Mean World Syndrome, so I must oblige.
On Tuesday night, I attended the National Vigil of the Hostages with fellow students at a local synagogue. The goal was not to divide people regarding the current conflict in the Middle East but rather to bring the community together to mourn the six people who were prematurely taken from the Earth.
There were many speakers at the event, from local officials of the Jewish community to family members of the hostages. Both of those still alive and no longer with us. I would prefer not to go in-depth about the details of those speeches, but they were all some of the most powerful speeches I've heard and directly their case well.
I also watched the eulogy for Hersh Goldberg-Polin's funeral, which I am sharing directly here as I feel it is important to watch regardless of your political beliefs. I'll talk about the political aspect later.
The high-profile speaker was Douglas Emhoff, the Second Gentleman of the United States and the first Jewish spouse of a Vice President.
Now, I did not go to this event to specifically for him. I went for different, more depressing reasons, but I chose to stay to hear what he had to say about his and the administration's responses.
Not everyone stayed, though. A small number happened to leave at the same time. Whether that be for personal or political reasons will be left up to your interpretation.
Emhoff's speech touched upon his encounters with the hostages' families and the grief that someone goes through in such an act. From one point, a singular person with no direct connection, but the other, a human who refuses to sit idly by as terrorism takes hold and refuses to follow the basic rules of human dignity.
While the speech effectively explained the message, it could easily come across as simple words. Words that do not have meaning and will not stop the conflict as-is. Such is the case similar to the recent Apalachee High School shooting, which resulted in 4 deaths and a 14-year-old perpetrator. Such thoughts, prayers, and other assorted words and phrases might mean well to the rhetors but do nothing in the grand scheme.
His words were nice, but I, along with everyone, want an end to the war and peace in the region—something that is looking dimmer by the day when it's an election year for the Americans.
The next evening was a slightly lighter event for a few different reasons. For starters, this was a single person, an author, speaking, and I was required to be there.
Whom may I be referring to? Dr. Ashley Shew, a professor at Virginia Tech, specializes in disability studies and technological advancements. All incoming students at my university were required to read her newest memoir, Against Technoableism: Rethinking Who Needs Improvement. The book discusses the problems of the modern-day disability community, including how people assume disabled people want specific things but don't and the lack of engagement on how to make their lives better.
Personally, I thought all the concepts and themes were interesting. My favorite sections were related to neurodiversity and autism since they were the ones that I could relate to the most, but I thought the book as a whole gave me a new perspective on both disabled rights and the community—something I never really thought of before.
The ultimate problem with the entire book and issue is much of it is a rant or rumbling onward about whatever the topic is, which to some people may be fine, but that is the memoir element of the book shining through, which, unfortunately, is also prevalent throughout the event. Making it confusing what was relevant or not.
While some people were glad that they chose not to go, I was neutral in my attendance. It was interesting to hear an author speak about their expertise for once and how the disabled community continues to evolve and change, alongside how allies can help.
I understand the privilege that I had to be in attendance of two fascinating people. People who have contributed greatly to their fields and strive to make the world a better place.
Even though they covered completely different topics, both speakers shared a key similarity that goes from all angles: neither was just talking to their internal communities but to the public. Outreach on all issues must resonate with the public, not just the powerful who make the changes. After all, America is a democracy where every person's views and beliefs matter in the long run.
Right?
Author's Note
This post can be seen as one of the more somber posts. Which was the point. Being political on here would accomplish nothing other than possibly sow division between readers and myself. Which, for someone as bootstrapped as yours truly, is not the wisest decision.
I do hope people liked the work. “Enjoy” is not a term I would necessarily associate with this post. But I do want people to find it worthwhile. I’m always looking for new ways to innovate myself and my work, and if this is an angle that people want, then I’m not necessarily opposed to do more like this.
While I did say I was planning to write a post on Andor, I got sidetracked as I always do and am in the drafting phase of a post regarding NaNoWriMo and generative AI. That post should be available on the site within the next 2 weeks.
Regardless, thanks for reading. See you soon.
