(no subject)
(Cross-posting from a forum reply)
This very topic has been weighing heavily on me with increasing pressure ever since 2001 (which is more or less when I started becoming 'aware' of politics). Everything [Darth] Wong and the others have said is essentially true.
But so what?
You are not wrong to say it, just as I am not wrong to think it. But to what end does saying it to the population of SDN accomplish anything? To what end would trying to say it beyond this forum accomplish anything? Who would listen?
There is a contingent -- there must be, since it is at least partially represented by the American membership of this board -- of people in this country that don't condone these things, that weep at the thought of what this country has become, and what may yet lie ahead. Every day, I head over to OneGoodMove to see the latest recaps on various programs, to read the latest articles from rational-minded Americans. And we all collectively stare in dumbstruck horror at these goings on.
The people who care do go and vote, and we're simply outnumbered. Where's the outrage, you ask? Where would it do any good, I ask in return. Who am I going to talk to such that it'll mean a damn thing? CNN? MSNBC? FOX News? Right. One need only look at the buzzwords used around Clinton's rebuttal to that FOX News toady to see that people who are rational, factual, and who give a shit about the country will be quickly smeared, their words ignored in favor of mocking their tone.
The Republic is crumbling. It's falling apart. There's no evident way to save it. And most people don't notice. In reality, how much has the average American citizen been negatively affected by any of this? I was remarking to my girlfriend just last night -- this country has gone to shit, and no one notices. I can still hop in my car, go buy my groceries, drive to work, post on the internet whatever I want, get drunk with my friends, attend my school. Nothing has actually changed for me in the realm of US politics that directly affect my life in 5 years. And I'm one of the people with his ear to the tracks, listening to all the shit going on! What about all the people who don't have time/don't care about the world news? They aren't even aware.
How much does whether gays get to marry affect me? Not at all.
How much does the US's use of torture on enemy combatants affect me? Not at all.
How much does invading another country for purely political/ideological reasons affect me? Not at all.
I care about all of those things because at heart, I'm a humanist ideologue. But those things -- major issues that everyone should be completely united on -- just don't affect the US citizen.
So, I'm left feeling helpless. I know the flaws in the country. I know what they are, and I know what they should be. But if you have any real plan/suggestion for how little ol' me, 22 and not quite out of school yet, can make a lick of difference in changing the disastrous apathy prevalent in the country, by all means let me know.
This very topic has been weighing heavily on me with increasing pressure ever since 2001 (which is more or less when I started becoming 'aware' of politics). Everything [Darth] Wong and the others have said is essentially true.
But so what?
You are not wrong to say it, just as I am not wrong to think it. But to what end does saying it to the population of SDN accomplish anything? To what end would trying to say it beyond this forum accomplish anything? Who would listen?
There is a contingent -- there must be, since it is at least partially represented by the American membership of this board -- of people in this country that don't condone these things, that weep at the thought of what this country has become, and what may yet lie ahead. Every day, I head over to OneGoodMove to see the latest recaps on various programs, to read the latest articles from rational-minded Americans. And we all collectively stare in dumbstruck horror at these goings on.
The people who care do go and vote, and we're simply outnumbered. Where's the outrage, you ask? Where would it do any good, I ask in return. Who am I going to talk to such that it'll mean a damn thing? CNN? MSNBC? FOX News? Right. One need only look at the buzzwords used around Clinton's rebuttal to that FOX News toady to see that people who are rational, factual, and who give a shit about the country will be quickly smeared, their words ignored in favor of mocking their tone.
The Republic is crumbling. It's falling apart. There's no evident way to save it. And most people don't notice. In reality, how much has the average American citizen been negatively affected by any of this? I was remarking to my girlfriend just last night -- this country has gone to shit, and no one notices. I can still hop in my car, go buy my groceries, drive to work, post on the internet whatever I want, get drunk with my friends, attend my school. Nothing has actually changed for me in the realm of US politics that directly affect my life in 5 years. And I'm one of the people with his ear to the tracks, listening to all the shit going on! What about all the people who don't have time/don't care about the world news? They aren't even aware.
How much does whether gays get to marry affect me? Not at all.
How much does the US's use of torture on enemy combatants affect me? Not at all.
How much does invading another country for purely political/ideological reasons affect me? Not at all.
I care about all of those things because at heart, I'm a humanist ideologue. But those things -- major issues that everyone should be completely united on -- just don't affect the US citizen.
So, I'm left feeling helpless. I know the flaws in the country. I know what they are, and I know what they should be. But if you have any real plan/suggestion for how little ol' me, 22 and not quite out of school yet, can make a lick of difference in changing the disastrous apathy prevalent in the country, by all means let me know.