Growing Up With Obedience
Civil Disobedience
Disobedience
Obedience-this is a word used often times for pets or children. In many cases it labels children as good or bad based on how well they behave. While learning discipline is an important life skill, there is controversy on how much emphasis should be put on it. Similarly this can be compared to civil disobedience, where the people, the "children of the government", resist against the authority, speaking up about what they feel is right.
Children are expected to be obedient and follow directions. When faced with something they don't like they cry, throw a fit, or refuse to follow with a big pout on their face. However, in the real world, adults are no longer offered this luxury of crashing out on the floor crying. Instead they can A, suck it up and move on, or B, do something about it. In some cases this might be like Thoreau and his more planned out, law-breaking protests. In history, many of the greatest changes and acts came from the figures that questioned the authority and chose to perform acts of disobedience. On the other hand, like Dennis-Benn this could be more subtle like when she got married to a woman in a homophobic country. While one might be a clearer example of civil disobedience, both events were done with the intention of proving a point and expressing how they feel.
Although I realize that saying people have been practicing civil disobedience since being kids is a big stretch, I think we have been building up our own experiences of resistance that ultimately leads to bigger acts against the majority. Ironically, obedience now seems to hold a connotation of being timid and spineless in contrast to the "perfect" obedient kids.
So looking back on the word civil disobedience, how obedient should we be?
You’re question at the end really got me thinking, am I an obedient child? I feel like my parents give me a relatively mild constraint whether that’s my grades or what I do as a hobby. But this too could be an invisible barrier. If my parents have set these rules since the beginning, then I would never be able to realize there were rules set in the first place. My every response and reaction would all be in accordance to what they want. As of now, I don’t really know the answer, but I’m glad you were able to bring the thought that our minds are not as conscious as we think we are.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting post! I've never thought about how the connotations with obedience and disobedience change as we grow up. When we hear about kids being disobedient, we mostly think that they're in the wrong. We think that the children are misbehaving because most adults automatically think that children always throw tantrums over less serious things (which can be the case, but isn't always). However, for adults, you don't really hear them being described as disobedient because they have more autonomy in this world. I don't think saying that people have been practicing civil disobedience since they were kids is too big of a stretch either. There are many movements that young people drive that are taken less seriously because of that. I've definitely heard cases where kids who have legitimate concerns or try to take action are brushed off as rebellious and troublemakers.
ReplyDeleteNice blog katherine! I appreciated the sense of realism in this that came from your tone, especially when you talked about the only two real choices you have as an adult when wanting to crash out.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you connected the idea of childhood obedience to the civil disobedience piece. Your blog makes the argument relatable while still making history and literature connections. Also the conversational tone you add makes your blog very easy to follow.
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