Selfish?

Am I am selfish for not wanting to share my day with the orange jumpsuit people? The more I think about the protest, the more it irritates me. Although everyone faces unique struggles to graduate from law school, my journey was particularly difficult.

While just getting into Boalt was a great achievement for me, graduating three years later is probably one of the biggest things I will ever accomplish in my life. The pride of graduating from Boalt doesn't just belong to me, it belongs to my entire family.

Although I have no problem with a few people with some signs, it is starting to sound like the protest is morphing into more than that. Instead of my family peacefully making their way to the Greek Amphitheatre early Saturday morning, they will have to contend with people shouting at them and pushing offensive pictures in their face. The walkways to the amphitheater are narrow and it is likely the protesters will obstruct their ability to get to the graduation. It will probably be a nightmare to get my disabled family friend to the amphitheater.

Lastly, since the day of graduation is probably the last time I will see all of my 3L friends in one place, I was looking forward to drinking cheap champagne in the courtyard and introducing my family to the people who helped me survive law school. Maybe it’s selfish, but I don’t want to share my graduation with the protesters. Nothing they do is going to change what is happening. If I knew their protest would actually stop torture, I would feel differently. Instead, their actions will only have a direct impact on me and my family’s ability to enjoy the one day I have been given to celebrate the end to a very long journey. I don’t think it is fair they are using my graduation as a soap box. But then again, I should know better. I know life is often not fair.