Two weeks ago, burnt out from a class discussion, cringing from a sore throat and late for my next class, I stopped at a Coke machine with a crisp dollar bill and attempted to make a purchase. I walked away pissed-off, thirsty and still holding that dollar bill.
When I had realized that the machine was not on, I looked to see if it had been unplugged. Instead, I found that there no longer was a plug: The electrical cord had been deliberately cut.
Flyers posted on the machines stated that workers in Colombian bottling plants have been, under the orders of the Coca-Cola corporation, kidnapped, tortured, and in eight known cases, murdered, by paramilitary groups trained at the School of the Americas. These employees were evidently being punished for seeking to achieve “fair wages, safe working conditions and the right to have an independent union.” The flyers became a warning when they stated that these acts would continue until Guilford College “has discontinued its relationship with this murderous corporation.”
At this time, I would like to address the people responsible for the defacement of these machines. First, allow me to say that if these allegations are true (which the Coca-Cola corporation denies, branding them “nothing more than a shameless effort to generate publicity using the name of our Company”), then I am sorry. There is nothing anyone can say that can come even close to justifying these appalling crimes, and I for one am disgusted.
That said, grow up. Last I checked, protests were meant to serve a purpose and maybe even accomplish something. What have you accomplished? Too busy plotting out your next juvenile act of revolution to figure it out? OK, then I’ll tell you: Absolutely nothing. You have managed to do nothing but destroy private property and piss off countless students, staff and faculty, not to mention the people responsible for keeping up and maintaining those machines.
It sucks about the employees in Colombia, and I mean that, but what about the employees here? Thanks to your half-witted actions, some (yeah, you guessed it) Coca-Cola employee had to come and repair the damage inflicted on 17 machines by a group of spoiled brats desperate to believe in something.
And yes, I realize the whole point to this vandalism was to make Guilford sever all ties with the corporation and thus not need to have the machines repaired.
But I can’t accept that college students could really be that na‹ve. As you can see, the machines are still here. For future reference, mangling property that does not belong to you is not going to make anyone believe in your cause. It just makes you look stupid.
Whatever happened to picketing, starting a petition, or even holding an information session?
Oh, right, I forgot. Passive acts of protest like that still leave people with a choice.
And we can’t be allowing people choices, now can we?
People like you give liberals a bad name.