The Declaration of Rights and Grievances
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The Declaration of Rights and Grievances When a people find themselves brutally suppressed by the intolerable clutch of oppression, and realize that their fundamental liberties as free citizens of a great nation are being compromised by the tyrannical forces of prejudice and discrimination so omnipresent, it becomes absolutely necessary for them to declare their complete separation from such a repressive society, and to, by whatever means necessary, free themselves from the unjust norms of a culture that so callously strips them of their limitless potential by burying their futures in its corrupt soil. We, the futures of this burgeoning nation, find it necessary to proclaim our complete disapprobation of the cultural norms that control our society, that restrain us from experiencing all that life has to offer, that treat us as secondclass citizens, and that incessantly discriminate against us, a people who can perhaps be only guilty of inheritance. It is conspicuous that American society holds in highest esteem its muscular, burly, and robust athletes, while overlooking the significant potential of those of its members who Mother Nature has endowed with fewer physical blessings, but victimizing them. Yet, this is not the limit of our torment at the hands of our culture. Societal norms have made it acceptable, and even commendable, for our counterparts to ridicule our kind for being less athletic. We have had enough of this oppression. We had suffered enough setbacks, lost opportunities, and personal afflictions, and we now come together to declare ourselves free of such oppression. We have come to believe that conciliation is no longer an attainable outcome, and we realize that must resort to actively freeing ourselves of these binding chains which have held us captive for far too long. We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all people are created equal, that certain fundamental liberties are guaranteed to them, among these the liberty of equality in the face of both challenge and opportunity, and equal standing in the eyes of the law, the culture, and the people, and that in the case of unjust oppression at the hands of any entity, they are entitled to secession from the prejudiced society in which they find themselves entrapped. Societal norms of the current age have entangled our brothers and sisters, along with ourselves, in a whirling web of corruption and deceit, manipulating our malleable minds in order to lessen our sense of selfworth while praising the athletic superiority of our peers. Our surroundings have lessened our social standing, diminished our confidence, effaced our sense of selfesteem, and compromised the faith we have in ourselves, the belief that we, just like our athletically accomplished fellow Americans, are equal in the fundamental aspects of our being. The emphasis on athleticism and immaculate physique have been ingrained in our minds, continually reminding of us of our “inferiority” and “unspeakable incapabilities”, and of our inability to ascend the utopian plateau of true success that is so readily accessible to our athletic brethren. The history of American society has been one of continual discrimination against the “weaker” kind, a history encompassing decades upon decades of abuse and oppression of physically feeble. To prove this, let the facts be submitted to a candid world: Society has continually inundated us with idealistic and unrealistic portrayals of what a true American should be, implanting selfdoubt, guilt, and despondency in the hearts of we who
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Transcript of The Declaration of Rights and Grievances
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The Declaration of Rights and Grievances
Whenapeoplefindthemselvesbrutallysuppressedbytheintolerableclutchofoppression,andrealizethattheirfundamentallibertiesasfreecitizensofagreatnationarebeingcompromisedbythetyrannicalforcesofprejudiceanddiscriminationsoomnipresent,itbecomesabsolutelynecessaryforthemtodeclaretheircompleteseparationfromsucharepressivesociety,andto,bywhatevermeansnecessary,freethemselvesfromtheunjustnormsofaculturethatsocallouslystripsthemoftheirlimitlesspotentialbyburyingtheirfuturesinitscorruptsoil.
We,thefuturesofthisburgeoningnation,finditnecessarytoproclaimourcompletedisapprobationoftheculturalnormsthatcontroloursociety,thatrestrainusfromexperiencingallthatlifehastooffer,thattreatusassecondclasscitizens,andthatincessantlydiscriminateagainstus,apeoplewhocanperhapsbeonlyguiltyofinheritance.ItisconspicuousthatAmericansocietyholdsinhighestesteemitsmuscular,burly,androbustathletes,whileoverlookingthesignificantpotentialofthoseofitsmemberswhoMotherNaturehasendowedwithfewerphysicalblessings,butvictimizingthem.Yet,thisisnotthelimitofourtormentatthehandsofourculture.Societalnormshavemadeitacceptable,andevencommendable,forourcounterpartstoridiculeourkindforbeinglessathletic.Wehavehadenoughofthisoppression.Wehadsufferedenoughsetbacks,lostopportunities,andpersonalafflictions,andwenowcometogethertodeclareourselvesfreeofsuchoppression.Wehavecometobelievethatconciliationisnolongeranattainableoutcome,andwerealizethatmustresorttoactivelyfreeingourselvesofthesebindingchainswhichhavehelduscaptiveforfartoolong.Weholdthesetruthstobeselfevident,thatallpeoplearecreatedequal,thatcertainfundamentallibertiesareguaranteedtothem,amongthesethelibertyofequalityinthefaceofbothchallengeandopportunity,andequalstandingintheeyesofthelaw,theculture,andthepeople,andthatinthecaseofunjustoppressionatthehandsofanyentity,theyareentitledtosecessionfromtheprejudicedsocietyinwhichtheyfindthemselvesentrapped.
Societalnormsofthecurrentagehaveentangledourbrothersandsisters,alongwithourselves,inawhirlingwebofcorruptionanddeceit,manipulatingourmalleablemindsinordertolessenoursenseofselfworthwhilepraisingtheathleticsuperiorityofourpeers.Oursurroundingshavelessenedoursocialstanding,diminishedourconfidence,effacedoursenseofselfesteem,andcompromisedthefaithwehaveinourselves,thebeliefthatwe,justlikeourathleticallyaccomplishedfellowAmericans,areequalinthefundamentalaspectsofourbeing.Theemphasisonathleticismandimmaculatephysiquehavebeeningrainedinourminds,continuallyremindingofusofourinferiorityandunspeakableincapabilities,andofourinabilitytoascendtheutopianplateauoftruesuccessthatissoreadilyaccessibletoourathleticbrethren.ThehistoryofAmericansocietyhasbeenoneofcontinualdiscriminationagainsttheweakerkind,ahistoryencompassingdecadesupondecadesofabuseandoppressionofphysicallyfeeble.Toprovethis,letthefactsbesubmittedtoacandidworld:SocietyhascontinuallyinundateduswithidealisticandunrealisticportrayalsofwhatatrueAmericanshouldbe,implantingselfdoubt,guilt,anddespondencyintheheartsofwewho
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cannothopetofulfillsuchunreasonableexpectations.Ithasdiscriminatedagainstandvictimizedandoppressedandabusedandsubjugatedusassecondclasscitizens.Ithasputourfuturesinjeopardybyreservingcountlessacademic,financial,andprofessionalopportunitiesforonlytheathletic.Ithasdevastatedourmentalandemotionalwellbeings,byimplantingfalsenotionsandidealsofparadigmsofhumanperfectionintoourminds,whileregardinguswithdisdainfornotfulfillingsuchanimpossiblestandard.
Inregardstothesesuchgrievances,wehavemanytimesvoicedourconcern,onlyforthemtobemetwithfurtherneglect.However,werefusetocontinuetosuccumbtothetyrannicaljawsofsuchasociety.Wewilltakeourdestinyintoourownhands,andcreateanewfutureforourselves,oneofpeace,tolerance,hope,opportunity,andprosperity,forall.Wedeclareourselvestobeextricatedfromtherepressivesocietalnormsgoverningourland.Wedeclareourselvestobegovernedbythelawsofequalityandopportunity,notthoseofprejudiceandoppression.Wedeclareourselvestobeindependentofthedespoticculturethatevidentlyviewsusasworthlessadditionstothecommoncause.Wedeclareourselvestobeourownpeople,apeoplewhoseetheworthinalllife,regardlessofitsoutwardappearance.Inmostoflifesinstances,welivenottoobey,weobeytolive.However,wehavefoundthatobedienceisnotalwaysthesuitablereaction.Obediencehasonlydrivenusfartherintoaholeofoppression,aholeofdespair,aholeofcontinualdisappointment.Andfromthat,wedeclareourselvestobeindependent.
Itisafactthatathletesarethemorefavorablecontendersformostopportuneoccasions,suchascollegeadmission.Studentswhoplayasporthaveanunfairadvantagewhenitcomestobeingacceptedintocolleges.Athleteshaveseizedthechanceataneducationforhardworkingandstudiousstudentswhocantaffordacollegeeducationontheirown.Collegesprovidefullscholarshipsforstudentswhohavebeengiftedwithathleticabilities,eveniftheirGPAsarelow.Thisgivesadisadvantagetostudentswhoarenotnaturallytalentedinplayingasport.TheNationalCollegiateAthleticAssociationgrantsover1.5billiondollarsannuallyforathleticscholarships.DespitetheseobviousfaultsintheAmericaneducationalsystem,thereissomemerittotheideathattheacademicallygiftedarerewardedfortheirintelligenceintheirownright.Forinstance,atColumbiaSouthernUniversitythereare244academicscholarshipsgrantedtoincomingfreshmeneachyearwhilealesser208athleticscholarshipsareprovidedforthesameincomingclass.However,thisistheexceptionratherthantherule.Thefactofthematteristhatthatmostacademicinstitutionsinthenationoffermanymoreathleticscholarships,andsubsequentbenefits,thattheydoforacademicachievements,primarilybecausesocietyhastaughtthemthatphysicalsuperiorityismorehighlyesteemedthanthatofthemind,perhapsbecauseitismorevisuallyaccessible.Forexample,NorthwesternUniversityoffers310athleticscholarships,includingfullridetuitionpayments,forincomingstudentathletes,manyofwhomitadmitsbyoverlookingmajoracademicfaults,whileitonlyoffers200academic,meritbasedscholarshipsinthesameyear.Forsomestudents,playingasportcomesnaturally,butforthemajorityofstudentsitisntthateasy.Athletesdonothavetoworkasvigorouslyinacademics
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becausetheyhavesportstofallbackon.Themajorityofstudentsarenotaslucky.Themajorityofstudentsmustspendsleeplessnightspreparingforatestthenextday.Themajorityofstudentsmusttrytheirabsolutehardesteverydayineveryclassbecausetheyhavenobackupplanlikeathletesdo.Wewantschooltobecenteredaroundacademicsagain.TobecenteredaroundEnglishandscienceandmathandhistoryagain,notathletics.
Inthesocietythatweliveintoday,theathleticallycompetentareportrayedassuperiorthantheirpeersthatarenotgiftedwiththesameathleticability.Societyelevatesthesocialstandingofathleteswhileitdepreciatesthesocialstandingofuscommoncitizenswholackathleticaptitude.Ithasgrantedtheathletesofthenationinequitablesupremacy.Ithasdeprivedusnonathleticcitizensofhavingthesameopportunitiesthatarewholeheartedlyvouchsafedtotheathletes.Ithasunjustlyreservedpositionsofhighesteemtoindividualssolelybasedontheiraptnessinsports.Wehavebeenneglected,underappreciated,trivializedinthissocietywhereonespositionandstandingismerelydeterminedonthebasisofwhetheroneisskilledinthesphereofathletics.We,thefutureofthisgreatnation,refusetofurtherallowthecontinuanceofthiscorruptsystemwheretheathleticallydistinguishedarefavoredinsocietyovertheircounterparts.Wewillnolongerstandidleandbeamenabletosocietyspreferentialstandards.Wewillnolongertoleratebeingconsideredasinferiortoourathleticpeerswhoareawardedwithexcessiveopulencebysociety.
We,therefore,thefutureofthisnation,appealingtothesocietyinwhichwelivein,do,intheName,andbytheAuthorityofthecitizensofthiscountry,solemnlypublishanddeclare,Thatwe,theathleticallydisadvantagedare,andofRightoughttohaveequalopportunitiesandprivilegesandtreatmentasourathleticallyadvancedpeersdoandanyinequitabletreatmentthatsocietyimposesinwhichathletesaredeemedsuperiortoanyordinarycitizenisandoughttobetotallydissolved.Wedemandthatallnationsacknowledgeandrespectourstancesontheequalityofallpeopleregardlessoftheiroutwardappearance,andwestipulatethatourindependencefromthegripofsocialinjusticeisheardaroundtheworldandlegitimatelyrecognized.AndforthesupportofthisDeclaration,withafirmrelianceontheprotectionofdivinenaturalrights,wemutuallypledgetoeachother,ourLives,ourFortunesandoursacredHonor.
LegendCrystalEshraghiStephanieJavidniaOmairaNoori
