There Are Starving Children In Africa

National Day of Silence. The one day a year in America that gays, straights, and heteroflexibles show their support for victims of bullying, abuse, and general not niceness towards homosexuals (or percieved homosexuals) by refusing to speak. It's said to be meant to draw awareness; and act of fraternity for the many people who were not able to speak out in the past...but what does it really accomplish?
I first paid attention to this practice halfway through highschool when I noticed that a large number of my classmates were carrying cards that they would proudly display when they were addressed. Once it was established that they wouldn't speak, they easily turned to other means of communication anywhere from from scribbling to sign language to playing "hot and cold" while we guessed what they wanted from us. Though it got my attention, I was more annoyed by their game than inspired by their cause. To put my perspective in context, I went to a teeny high school with a large percentage of gay students, none of whom tended to be treated unfairly based on their sexual orientation and speaking out about hate crime in a school full of gays seemed silly to me. Additionally, the ease with which the participants managed to get their points across despite claiming to have taken a vow of silence for the day belied the message as far as I was concerned. If finding solace for a bullied gay was as simple as seeking a different means of communication, what was the big deal?
One would think that, at a large university where crimes against peers were less regulated and more severe, I would be able to find more credence for the cause at least. I will admit I'm much more sympathetic to victims of bullying and harrassment for any reason than I was a few years ago. But for the life of me I can't figure out what good it does to tape your mouth shut and carry a legal pad around all day. On the contrary, I question the day of silence in the voracity of its supposed mission.
As a part of a group that wasn't permitted to vote for the majority of this country's history, I would never consider asserting the legitimacy of my citizenship by not voting. If children are being bullied, if men and women are being harrased, if people without a voice are being victimized I would speak out. Awareness is all well and good, but simply knowing there's a cost to silence doesn't pay the price. There's a reason that acknowledging the problem is the first step in every program; acknolwedgement alone is not a solution. No one will hear the silent multitudes so long as there is one decibal of noise. So make some noise. It's so much easier to observe than silence.