Make students good

Re: “Cool heads must prevail”, (Editorial, July 21).

Students should help Thailand through age-appropriate activities that teach them to be informed, engaged citizens by their graduation. For example, my Utah high school participated in the state’s Model United Nations, representing our assigned country, Somalia. There, we explored the overarching interests and goals we shared with other small nations, forming alliances to work with larger countries for the common good. Surely, these skills are vital in a democracy.

As another example, in my university in the US Deep South when racial segregation was legal, our student equal rights organisation raised awareness of the need for equality in the US. We picketed a segregated off-campus eatery, reducing their patronage to a trickle. Since our goal was to raise awareness, we then conducted a reverse boycott — encouraging those opposing segregation to patronise the eatery on a given day. The lines stretched around the block, the restaurant couldn’t wash its dishes fast enough to serve all patrons — and the university community’s strong support for racial integration was evident to all. Just one policeman sufficed to keep the peace.

This experience in the Deep South taught us how to coordinate with the authorities to effectively present our viewpoint within the law to achieve sustainable change in society — which is a much better method than, say, Thailand’s Bloody May.

Let’s teach students to be strong forces for good.

BURIN KANTABUTRA