(no subject)
Today I'm going to post about what I like to call political apathy. Mostly because it came up in Civics yesterday and today, and because it does apply, in part, to LGBT issues. And, I'm contemplating writing an OP/ED to send in to our school's newspaper.
First, I want to make clear what exactly I mean by "political apathy": Paying no attention whatsoever to, or not caring at all about, politics and current events. To me, political apathy is when someone does not care about politics at all and acts as if it has nothing to do with them. I'm going to be frank and say that I've never understood these types of people, because I've always been interested in politics and because I recognize that politics plays a huge part of our everyday lives, regardless of whether or not we're interested in it.
This came up first yesterday in Civics. It was a discussion question posed after we read some article about what it means to be a citizen. "Is apathy a problem in the United States?" My answer? The first two words should be switched, and there shouldn't be a question mark. There's no doubt that apathy is a huge problem in the US. For some reason, some people in our class were getting offended that someone would say that apathy is a problem. I'm sorry if the truth hurts them, but that's their problem, not mine. We got into a debate over what could be construed as whether or not we should hold uninformed (and therefore apathetic) people accountable for their ignorance. "We" (in quotation marks because I know it wasn't decided as a class, and it was actually mostly Jason) came to the conclusion that it's unfair to talk about apathy this way. Or something along those lines.
If you want my most blunt opinion on that, it is this: That's bullshit. If you are going to be politically apathetic, and not give a shit one way or the other what happens in this country, you're going to have to grow a spine and deal with people criticizing you for it. I got the feeling that a lot of people in the class were simply offended that the question was asked because they are apathetic, and know it, and don't care. I'm not sorry to say, they'll have to get over it.
The problem with political apathy is that, because politics plays such a large role in one's life, it's a huge thing to ignore or not care about. Our government is a big part of our lives--it is not some isolated, far off thing that makes you pay taxes and tells you not to kill other people. It regulates how we drive, our food, our pets, our homes. For everything you can think of, the government was probably involved, somehow.
And when you get lots of politically apathetic people, the country doesn't do too well. When the majority of people in your country don't know shit about what's going on, you tend to get very little response from the people as to what they want. Problems exist in this country, like it or not, and I'm betting they could be solved quicker if people would get off their asses and take a stand for something.
Of course, the last time this was suggested (in politer terms), people in our class went on about how they don't have the time to do all this political stuff. It is worth noting that when someone accuses you of politcal apathy, it is not a demand that you run into the streets waving signs and screaming for revolution. It is a request for you to pull your head out of your ass and pay attention to what's going on. You don't have to be interested in politics to keep up with current events or to vote. You don't have to devote half your life to political activism. Voting and spending all your free time at rallies are two very different things. No one expects everyone to do a lot of political activism. But a lot of us political nerds expect the general populace to not be so ignorant and inform themselves on what's going on in the world.
That's one of the things I want to make abundantly clear. We're not asking you to get as involved as we are. We're asking you to grow a brain and have some basic knowledge about reality outside of your own little world. Okay?
First, I want to make clear what exactly I mean by "political apathy": Paying no attention whatsoever to, or not caring at all about, politics and current events. To me, political apathy is when someone does not care about politics at all and acts as if it has nothing to do with them. I'm going to be frank and say that I've never understood these types of people, because I've always been interested in politics and because I recognize that politics plays a huge part of our everyday lives, regardless of whether or not we're interested in it.
This came up first yesterday in Civics. It was a discussion question posed after we read some article about what it means to be a citizen. "Is apathy a problem in the United States?" My answer? The first two words should be switched, and there shouldn't be a question mark. There's no doubt that apathy is a huge problem in the US. For some reason, some people in our class were getting offended that someone would say that apathy is a problem. I'm sorry if the truth hurts them, but that's their problem, not mine. We got into a debate over what could be construed as whether or not we should hold uninformed (and therefore apathetic) people accountable for their ignorance. "We" (in quotation marks because I know it wasn't decided as a class, and it was actually mostly Jason) came to the conclusion that it's unfair to talk about apathy this way. Or something along those lines.
If you want my most blunt opinion on that, it is this: That's bullshit. If you are going to be politically apathetic, and not give a shit one way or the other what happens in this country, you're going to have to grow a spine and deal with people criticizing you for it. I got the feeling that a lot of people in the class were simply offended that the question was asked because they are apathetic, and know it, and don't care. I'm not sorry to say, they'll have to get over it.
The problem with political apathy is that, because politics plays such a large role in one's life, it's a huge thing to ignore or not care about. Our government is a big part of our lives--it is not some isolated, far off thing that makes you pay taxes and tells you not to kill other people. It regulates how we drive, our food, our pets, our homes. For everything you can think of, the government was probably involved, somehow.
And when you get lots of politically apathetic people, the country doesn't do too well. When the majority of people in your country don't know shit about what's going on, you tend to get very little response from the people as to what they want. Problems exist in this country, like it or not, and I'm betting they could be solved quicker if people would get off their asses and take a stand for something.
Of course, the last time this was suggested (in politer terms), people in our class went on about how they don't have the time to do all this political stuff. It is worth noting that when someone accuses you of politcal apathy, it is not a demand that you run into the streets waving signs and screaming for revolution. It is a request for you to pull your head out of your ass and pay attention to what's going on. You don't have to be interested in politics to keep up with current events or to vote. You don't have to devote half your life to political activism. Voting and spending all your free time at rallies are two very different things. No one expects everyone to do a lot of political activism. But a lot of us political nerds expect the general populace to not be so ignorant and inform themselves on what's going on in the world.
That's one of the things I want to make abundantly clear. We're not asking you to get as involved as we are. We're asking you to grow a brain and have some basic knowledge about reality outside of your own little world. Okay?