Kurdish Protesters?

Today as I was walking down Upper Wacker Drive at Michigan Avenue, I was greeted by Kurdish protesters outside Turkey's embassy trying to raise awareness about the raids by the Turkish government into Kurdish villages. On December 28, 35 people were killed, most of them children. As I approached the protesters, I was handed an informatory letter describing the issue:

"Current Turkish government, Mr. R.T. Erdogan's cabinet, claims to be a democratic and liberal Islamic country in the Middle East, lectures Syria and Libya for democracy, and accuses Israel of being cruel against Palestinians."

This clearly speaks to the hypocrisy of the Turkish government; the saying "practice what you preach" comes to mind. Certainly this is not the first time in history this has occured. The U.S. government advocated for democracy across the globe, but at the same time did not offer all it's citizens equal rights, for example African Americans were not granted equal rights until 1964.

As I crossed paths with the protesters, I couldn't help but wonder, how does one even begin to get the government to change? Is protesting enough to get the government to recognize the problem and do something about it?

The protesting Kurds would argue yes. The first step to solving a problem is to recognize there is a problem in the first place. What about protesting in the U.S.? Does this help their cause back in Turkey?

It is interesting to see what the media emphasizes and what it does not. As my classmates and I read the signs of the protesters, we were confused as to what the issue was. But us simply being there and recognizing the issue is part of the process of solving it. As I stated above, recognizing the problem and raising awareness is just as important as solving the issue itself.

Teaching Both Sides

Most of what students learn about is what their teachers force them to read.  If a teacher assigns a reading on how Columbus discovered America, they are most likely to believe that Columbus was the first one to reach America and completely ignore the fact that there were previous inhabitants. Of course when students get older and wiser, they learn to think for for themselves. But what happens when students only learn one side of the story?

What teachers choose and choose not to show there students greatly affects how students perceive the world and history. One issue that I have with school is that usually only one side is showed (not to say that this is always the case). Recently, I was assigned to read The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution by Sean B. Carroll for my AP Biology Class. This book focuses on evolutionary history and provides factual evidence as to how natural selection allows for evolution to occur over time.

While I really enjoyed reading this book and learned more about evolution, I can hear the other side of me crying out, "Hey! What about the side that says evolution doesn't exist?" I do believe in evolution, and can see how evolution fits in with the history of the world. But I am simultaneously interested in the other side. Why can't evolution exist? What are the counter examples to evolution?

I understand that it is a science class and my teachers job isn't to present the other side. But religion does play a role in science, just as ethics does. I can't help but wonder if we lived in a predominantly/extremist Christian or even deeply religious area if the curriculum would be different. Would I even be allowed to read this book in school? To what degree does the majority religion influence education?

This also speaks to how society has become more liberal. Society is changing, evolution is more widely accepted, but this doesn't mean only one side should be taught.