For class, our second writing assignment was to "write about a time you participated in public discourse..what were the consequences of participating in public discourse..what might you do differently..". Normally, the word, consequences, goes along with a negative connotation of always being bad, but I kind of went on and wrote about the positive consequences of participating. Anyway, it was kind of fun to write.
America’s diverse opinions and attitudes toward just about anything are dominated and shaped by many different forms of public discourse. So why should I be any different? More often than not, I catch myself taking a second glance at some free brochures or some flyers that have been nailed to trees as a way to be informed. I become informed about activities that are occurring in my community and more knowledgeable about well, everything. As an avid runner, I have plenty of time to see what is going on about town. Whether the form is in the low brow graffiti on a wall, stating how disrespected “Judy” is as a woman, or a poster that is trying to get people to come to a local concert, each run will end up with me generally seeing well over one hundred different things. Public discourse is literally everywhere.
One of my main experiences with public discourse was during my sophomore year of high school. I, for some reason or another, marched boldly into the school and signed myself up for SADD, Students Against Destructive Decisions. Well, I was rather ignorant about the topic to be truthful. But, I left with a lot more knowledge after a few years in this club and a lot of that gained knowledge can be accredited to the use of public discourse. The hundreds of flyers put up around the school, town, and city parks are a great way to get work done and problems fixed. Until about halfway through the year, the membership of the club was rather routine. We, the students, went to different area elementary schools and middle schools spreading our message of making smart decisions. Handing out pieces of paper stating the harms and dangers of tobacco and how many drunken accidents there is each year. It is truly amazing to see how literacy and these little pieces of paper can get an elementary aged kid, a kid who does not even listen to his or her own teacher, so involved and so interested in something like being safe with the way they liver their life.
Finally, the day of the big rally came, the biggest thing that we ended up doing each year. The rally was about drunk driving and the dangers of drinking. The time was not just a day out of school but a way to better the community and bring knowledge to people attending the rally or just bystanders on their way to work. There were speakers, posters, activities, and flyers galore! About half of the community ended up showing up to the rally. Main Street was closed for a period of time which opened up some eyes. So many people showing up for the same cause in a small community is a pretty big feat to accomplish. But, when the children read what was given to them on the flyers, heard the stories that the brave speakers were honorably saying about their experiences with drunk driving, and found out effectives things to do and how to say no when offered certain illegal substances such as alcohol, I felt accomplished. Helping the community a few kids at a time and positively preparing them for the reality of teenage life and adulthood, I felt a great feeling of pure euphoria that went all the way back to the day that I signed up for this little club. Just today I, in a spontaneous and quite “my” fashioned way, signed up for Habitat for Humanity. I am hoping that this club will be like SADD and I hope we put up random displays of public discourse that will help to inform and educate the public as well as help to build a brighter community.
Most of my experiences with public discourse have been relatively good. I am not a hoodlum and I do not deface property. The most harm that I can say that I have done is probably when I stapled a flyer to a telephone pole. The wood was the only thing feeling the pain. I find the only way to get things done is in a peaceful and helpful manor. With shares of bad experiences notched under my belt, from being completely ignored at a job interview to being completely ignored by a waiter at a restaurant, I try to keep as level of a head as possible when it comes to confrontations.
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