DOV BAR-LEIB: And alas at what time in one’s life is Popularity a god to every person who goes through that rite of passage. Well if one goes to a public or even secular private high school, that is the time in one’s life where there is absolutely nothing more important than "Popularity". There is an old joke about St. Louis that St. Louisans like to tell. When you go to a party in St. Louis, what is the first question that a stranger might ask you in order to get to know you? "What High School did you go to?" What an odd question! Have you ever heard such a thing before, such a quirk about a major American city? It is because no one ever leaves that "popularity" scene in St. Louis. It imbues the lives of all who live there with a falsity of what is really important leaving a dark, empty core that is never filled.
The Nation: When was the last time civil disobedience brought about change?Edward Joseph Snowden: Occupy Wall Street.
