There have been some recent debates about an incident at a screening of “American Meat.” Apparently some vegan hippies got up on the stage and showed a picture of a puppy and explained how we’re all evil for eating meat. Let’s be clear, I disagree with the worldview of these vegetarians, but all that is a conversation for a different column.

In this column, I’d like to applaud those vegetarians who had the balls to get up on stage and interrupt a function. For all those denizens of other “activist” groups on campus, take note. They interrupted a function, confronted its members,  and forced their agenda. Thumbs up from me; I was impressed. That takes some gumption and they should be damn proud of themselves.

I remember some pro-Palestine thing put on by a group of slacktivists. They sat in a road leading to White Plaza and failed to block the sidewalk. Congratulations, you didn’t have the gall to close up just one of the entrances to White Plaza. Did you pose a major interruption? How many people did you confront? Did you force an agenda? Did the event actually accomplish anything? Most of us were already aware of what was happening, so let’s not call it an awareness campaign.

I also recall the “Occupy Stanford” movement, of which I was briefly a part. The few meetings I attended seemed more like a group therapy session. I believe there were a solid five of us, maybe six, freezing our asses off one evening in Occupation. I left in disgust at the lack of support. Occupy Meyer was a solid idea, except people opted to be quiet and out-of-the-way when they should’ve been loud and in-your-face.

We here at Stanford have become a generation of beardless liberals, shorn by indifference and the unfailing belief that we’re starting “conversations.”

Leave conversations to The Daily and go out and take action. As pointed out by Billy Gallagher, we can barely make our voices heard on our own damn campus.

Angry about the food truck controversy? Stop eating at them! Better yet, grab your lunch at Tresidder, make a sign and go picket one of the Off The Grid food trucks. Pissed off about the termination of the Suites contracts? Grab ten friends and go sit outside Deborah Golder’s office until she answers your questions.

The administration gets away with this kind of crap because we let them. If you’re not doing something about it, then you have no right to complain about it.

So, to my vegetarian adversaries, I tip my hat once more. Keep fighting for your goals, getting in the way and causing a ruckus. You’re doing more than most.

Make a stand. Email Chris at [email protected].