################################################################## # rant #2 or Katjoh's First Protest # # copyright 1999 Katrina Johnson version 1.1 # # reprint only with written permission, quotes are OK, printed # # copies are fine by me. # ################################################################## The other day I volunteered to be a part of an event promoting teen abstinence. I was bribed with a gift certificate for $40 to my store of choice, to help operate a booth at this event. This event, in theory, could help teens to make better deci- sions for themselves, by showing them the consequences of sex- ual promiscuity and substance abuse. So on April 16th, I went to the Yavapai County Fairgrounds with Mandy Smalley and Randi Forest. These two girls picked me up from my house at about 5:15 and brought me to the event. When I arrived, I was told what they wanted me to do for my shift, which was to act as though I am peer pressure. Being peer pressure, I was supposed to distract people from walking a straight line across a pipe taped to the floor. A girl nearby me by the name of Amber was operating a booth where you were supposed to throw darts at a wall covered with a variety of balloons and condoms. The ba- lloons were printed with something about the Teen Maze, and on the condoms were written consequences, like STDs, pregnancy, and death. Amber was talking to me, and I thought she was playing along with the peer pressure theme by trying to show how much underage sex can screw up your life. She showed me a picture of her 22 year old boyfriend, and introduced me to her sister who she claims to be raising. Amber is 17 years old, a blond with hazel eyes and glasses who seems to come straight out of an episode of Jerry Springer. I asked her if she watches the show, and she said, "All the time! Yeah!" I asked her if she was having a sexual relationship with her boyfriend, and she said, "Yes, but we're in love." She started to rationalize and justify her illegal and unsafe relationship with something that made sense to her. At this point, some kids were showing up to the event and so I had to act like peer pressure, and so I was ex- tremely sarcastic in saying "Hey I'm supposed ta be enticin ya, so why don't ya come do somethin risky, eh?" I made gestures like takin a drag off a joint. I then said, once they completed the obstacle, "Now go take a look at her booth, and realize this girl isn't acting. I want you to think about it, and I want you to realize that having sex at a young age can mess up your life." After about ten minutes of me doing that, Jackie Shaviz, who had invited me to help operate the event, told me, "Look. *This* is what I want you to do. Show the kids this video, and then hand them these pamphlets and show them their way." I watched the short video, which was supposed to depict a boy attempting to manipulate a girl into risky behavior. Unfortunately, the car- toon was exactly the kind of thing that a teenager would either not even care about or look at and say, "That's lame." And so I tried to explain to the kids what was going on: This guy is giving this girl a bunch of lines, because he wants something out of her and she continues to tell him she doesn't want it. The kids going through this actually listened to me, and seemed to quite well understand it. I thought to myself, "Wow! Kids here might actually learn something!" The traffic started to get heavier because it was getting deeper into the event. It was around 7 PM that Jackie came around again and was very sincere in what she was trying to tell me. She was saying something to the effect of, "These kids don't listen to what they don't want to hear, so please just do what we're asking you to do." I told her, "The kids I am talking to are listening to me, and the whole point of this event is supposed to educate them about the consequences. You seem to believe that they don't care about the consequences, but I know that kids are smart enough to have some self respect, but, unfortunately, their culture, not to mention this very event, tells them the message of abstinence and then tells them sex is okay when you're in love, so be safe." Jackie attempted to interrupt me while I was saying this and went on to say, "I'm trying to tell you that your message is falling on deaf ears. And if you're not going to help this event, I think you should leave because this is a Katrina that I think isn't feeling well." I told her, "You think that I am on drugs because I believe in the whole message in this event? I realize that you're not used to me being very enthusiastic, but I am *not* under the influence of *any* drugs right now." She started to argue with me and then grabbed my wrist and said, "Your pulse is racing. It's apparent to me you're not yourself, and I want you to call your dad and have him pick you up. It's best that you leave this event." At this point I realized that she was going to argue with me and that I wouldn't be able to help support this event unless I did something radical. I made the decision to protest. I left the building still wearing my staff shirt and stood at the entrance and said very loudly, "I just got kicked out of this event because I actually believe in the message we're supposed to be educating you about. When you go in those doors and partici- pate, want you to pay close attention because most of the people in there don't even believe what they're saying and otherwise I don't think you would've learned much from this." I had the attention of a couple dozen peers. I became very excited. I said, "I am protesting this event (a couple guys cheered!) I am protesting this event, because the way they are attempting to get this message to you is hypocritical. While they tell you these things and give you information (I held up my flyers) they don't believe that you care, or are even listening, because they think that you'll go out and participate in risky behavior anyway." At this point, Amanda came up to me and said, "I have to talk to you." She wouldn't take no for an answer. I knew that she was probably gonna tell me to shut the fuck up, and why I should (like perhaps I would get arrested). I refused to talk to her because my crowd wasn't paying much attention anymore, so I re- turned to them, well aware that what I was doing was something disruptive and with the potential to get the police called on me. I said to the kids and even a couple of adults who started to pay attention, "I got kicked out of this event because I was trying to tell you kids, because I believe you're smart enough to make a healthy decision for yourself, exactly what the consequences of peer pressure are and how you can understand the situation objectively. I was pointing out that you probably weren't gonna learn much from the event, so I stated logically what is going on in the situation of peer pressure, and kids understood me, and I was making a difference. However, my message was ignored by fellow staff, and they told me my behavior was unwanted and uneffective so I need to leave. I am standing here because I think that you can learn from what I have to say, and I believe that having a radical opinion is a good thing, for instance, I listen to bands like Tool, Melvins, and Rage Against the Machine. I don't think that understanding why abstinence is a good thing is so radical, but apprently the best way for me to help you understand right now, is to protest." (A lot of the kids here were smiling and looking at me with fascinated eyes.) I said, to a moving line, "I want you to go into here and make a healthy decision for yourself, because *I* cannot tell you what is best for you, but I think you are smart enough to think carefully about important decisions you're making in your life." A lady who seemed to think she could take charge came up to me and asked, "What is your name?" I told her, "I have no reason to tell you that." She proceeded to tell me to leave because I am causing a disruption and it is unwelcome, but I told her that I did not want to leave and I feel that the people listening to me like hearing my opinion because the simple fact of the matter is that they continued to listen to me. The crowd started to grow thin as kids filed into the building. I saw some police officers headed in my direction, and I smiled. I felt kinda sorry that these police were called on me, but I did make friends with officer Martin. A couple other officers there were doing some detective work and I was telling officer Martin what was going on. He told me that I had to leave, and I under- stood, so I went with him to call my father. Officer Martin and I shot the breeze for awhile. I realized that I was not where I told my father I would be waiting for him with the police. We walked to the Gail Gardner exit of the fairgrounds, and met up with my father. I hugged my dad real tight, because under the circumstances, I was pretty overwhelmed. Officer Martin proceeded to explain what had happened, and my father had a vague notion already of what I'd done, because I had clued him in a little on the phone. I gave the officers my best farewells and left Yavapai County Fairgrounds with my father. the end.