Monday, January 18, 2010

(Realismus) Alyssa: A life of a "gangster" turned radical

Alyssa: A life of a "gangster" turned radical




The streets of the ghetto seemed to be normal at first, and people were quite doing their common work-and earning a bit to pay off debts and the rest for the basic things around them. However, as time goes by, the streets of the ghetto broke off its normalcy as something radical hath started in that long barren place.

For in fact,
it all started when a girl, whose name is Alyssa, was walking on the sidewalk to meet with her friends standing by on the corner. And since she met again with those kind of people, as always, they seemingly enjoyed anything around from listening to rap music to the taste of ice cold beer and anything in between that a "gurl" or rather say a "gee" would experience with.

But,
That day was far from the happiest what Alyssa and the rest enjoyed with-for that was the same day when the stock market fell down, leading to a recession and at the same time the increase in prices of commodities around the world, and perhaps including the ghetto Alyssa and the rest lived, that so-called tragedy increases the call for dissent as radical groups started to organize more and more workers, peasants, and even the petit bouregoisie around, and yet Alyssa at that time was apathetic-that she's deeply concerned with her friends, rap music, of skimpy clothing and everything "gee."

And after enjoying and walking straight home, Alyssa met a different scene. Having a laid-off father with a little separation pay, a mother newly arrived home after hours of working in the factory, and her brother keeping his hard-pressed money after working as a truck driver. There they tried much to keep their way of life pretty well despite the growing crisis, including eating a meal consists of cooked salami and noodles, all of them coming from the market. There Alyssa felt somewhat sad, especially regarding his father who was laid off after years of working in the factory-that compelled herself to think about the situation around.

While turning on the TV, Alyssa unexpectedly sought the news, and there she was quite curious regarding current events after what she experienced around the community, from layoffs to the increase in poverty rates, that woman from the ghetto seemed trying to break off from her common life upon facing the boob tube and seeing, hearing every tragedy-to-be around it.

And after the problem that struck in her mindset, of lay-offs and price increases, inflation rates and recessions, Alyssa seemingly turned different, instead of continuing her common "gee" attitude, she focused much in studying social affairs and even reading radical writeups like those of Katleah Tostensson and Albert Harris being bought from a bookstore. And due to her ceaseless study, most of her friends were quite thinking questionably upon seeing her studying, listening to protest music and acting radical although she enjoy listening to rap and enjoying their company; and Alyssa, upon talking to them, then replied:
"Before asking, look around and think."
Then one of her friends, whose name is Shirley, said:
"I see nothing except protest."
"Ya." Alyssa said. "But what's the cause?"
"I don't know." Shirley said. "Why?"
Then Alyssa gave a newspaper to her and said:
"Here, read."
And Shirley then read the newspaper, especially the headline which it said:
"AFTER PRICE INCREASE, LAYOFFS:
PROTESTS WIDESPREAD, THE CALL: SOCIAL LIBERATION"
Shirley, after reading the entire news, then asked:
"What's the connection between us and them?"
"Is your family well to do when the rest are poor?" Alyssa said.
"No." Shirley replied. "But,"
"How much is your allowance at school?" Alyssa said.
"Fifty," Shirley said.
And Alyssa replied:
"Does it afford what you are buying? Like a bottle of soda are we drinking?"
"No." Shirley said. "And I need to pay additional five bucks for it. And I thought the soda costs forty five in order to buy a litre."
"This means that the prices increased." Alyssa said. "But it turned bad for the wages of our parents remained low, worse if most of our fathers or mothers experienced being laid off."
Then another friend, whose name is Peter, asked:
"What do you mean laid off?"
"Laid off?" Shirley said to Peter, "It means that you are being fired."
"Tsk...tsk...tsk..." Peter said. "How bad."
Then Alyssa spoke to the rest of her friends:
"We are indeed young, but then think of the realities happened. We may rap and show anything, but then we must face the fact that the world we live in is a place of struggle to sing and show, and lastly-why not break ourselves from being contented? Even Malcolm X, Tupac Shakur didn't like that kind of being contented on being something and instead wanting to transcend through liberation."
"Then what's the solution then?" Peter said.
And Alyssa replied to Peter and even the rest:
"Revolution."

The next day,
The entire ghetto seemed turning to be different, as the masses were quickly joined into the protest through a big mob staged in the middle of the street. There activists and other agitators spoke of their sentiments and the call of revolutionary action. It was the same day as Alyssa and some of her friends, out of interest and of reality, joined in listening the words of struggle while others were not and instead contenting in becoming lumpen wannabes, there Alyssa, although not an activist, tried to explain to Shirley and Peter and some of her clique regarding what the agitator being spoken regarding the social condition; making it simple to understand as much as she could. And since Alyssa continued discussing with her friends, one activist approached her and asked:
"Where are you from?"
"Me?" Alyssa said. "I, along with my friends, are from the ghetto near here, why?"
Then the activist replied:
"Seems unusual for a woman from the ghetto teaching others to fight, are you also an activist?"
"No." Alyssa said. "But I am willing to."
"Good." The activist said. "If you want, join with us in an educational discussion so that you will know much about what we are fighting."
Then Alyssa agreed on what the activist said to her, then asked:
"By the way, what is your name?"
Then the activist announceth himself:
"I am David, coming from the Spartacus league; and you?"
"Me?" Alyssa said. "I am Alyssa, and here are my friends."
And she spoke her friend's names one by one.

While in an educational discussion, David taught Alyssa and the rest of the gang about the social crisis prevailing, and there Alyssa simply kept on listening and at the same time asking according to what she read and think of; and David, in answering what Alyssa questioned, was quite thinking regarding her action, that seemed different from a mere ghetto "gee" girl and instead a potential revolutionary despite her clothes wearing; and after replying every question, David asked:
"Alyssa, what makes you know about these?"
"Aside from experiencing these," Alyssa said, "I use to watch news in the TV and reading some works made by Albert Harris and Katleah Tostensson in a bookshop."
"Oh!" David said. "That's good, it seems that you are trying to understand much about the society. How about them, your friends?"
"My friends?" Alyssa said. "They are also trying to understand about the system too. However they need to understand much other than I."
"Why?" David said.
"I am not an activist like you." Alyssa said. "So in order to reinforce my ideas, it would be better for me and the rest to join into the struggle."
David simply nod upon hearing Alyssa's reply, then he said:
"Well... welcome to the patriotic youth, Alyssa right?"
"Yes." Alyssa said.

And after listening to the speeches made by the agitators in the street, as well as to the discussions made by the activist David, Alyssa, along with the rest of the gang who understood much the cause of social distress and the rottenness of the system then joined the ranks of popular struggle against the reactionary scum, but then, Alyssa still kept her "gee"-ness, of rapping, and even making rap songs and melodies to sing, but this time a radical, realistic one-that, as what he said to her friend, called for:
"Revolution."