Dancing for dissension

As the election season heats up, I've been bombarded with continuous criticism about my generation. Initially, I tried to ignore the barrage of media complaints, that "we're selfish, we don't vote, we don't care…" To a certain extent, perhaps I agred with the disapproving eye of older generations. Maybe there is something inherently wrong with us. Maybe we are lazy, apathetic, overgrown children.\nAs children of the 80s, we've never lived in intense political turmoil, but just because we don't express our political interests exactly as our parents or grandparents did, does not imply we lack complete interest. \nWe're trying to connect to a seemingly alien political system, but it's not easy.\nLuckily for the future of democracy, I found my raison d'être in belly dancing. \nOn the first day of Middle Eastern dance class, a boy's footsteps pounded on the gym's wooden floor as he passed through a gauntlet of curious gazes. \nThe only male in a class of 28 students, my classmate said he didn't think about the disproportional gender ratio when he registered for the course. \nThe class, commonly dubbed "belly dancing," attracts a predominantly female audience. But every semester, one or two men register for the class, perhaps unaware of the loosely-associated stigma. \nThough professional male belly dancing has faced criticism throughout the Middle East, Egyptian and Turkish men enjoy dancing at social gatherings.\nMy classmate, whose grandfather is Lebanese, enrolled in the course to discover more about his Middle Eastern heritage. Once he realized the course taught belly dancing, he wanted to drop it. \nThough his closest friends supported his choice, various acquaintances mocked his dancing decision. The guys next door thought he should have been hitting on every girl in class every day.\nNevertheless, my classmate continued coming to class. Every Monday and Wednesday afternoon, he strolled into HPER 169 wearing a t-shirt, shorts and black NIKE basketball shoes -- a stark contrast to the room full of women wearing hip wraps dangling with gold coins.\nThough he didn't think registering for a dance class would dissolve gender barriers, over time, he admits he found motivation in his new, unique "minority" position.\nFor years, women strove to gain equal opportunity in the athletic realm. \nNowadays, both genders continue to struggle against societal preconceptions rather than legal barriers. \nWho says belly dancing can't be political?\nPassion stems from the most unexpected sources -- a conversation with a professor, a chapter from "Arabian Nights," the lyrics of "Addictive" or the sheer fervor of other college students. \n A sleeping giant, our generation has finally met causes it sees worthy of battling. Perhaps others may find them foolish, but at least we are willing to boldly meet the challenges. \n Those who argue for a rational justification in the purpose of dissent have forgotten the innocence of youth -- the time in our lives when we don't need to hide behind images of political correctness and can boldly challenge accepted ideas because we hope to improve our country for future years.\n Hopefully, the belly dancing fervor of gender equality will translate into activism in all aspects of the political spectrum.\nCrazy as it seems, for now, shimmies are bumping apathy out the window.