Apathy, Thy Name is Youthful

Politics nerd. 

Too intense. 

Lame.

Loser. 

Just get a life.  This is the response nowadays from youth to interest in politics.

If you’ll look to your right, you’ll notice by my picture that I’m not exactly out of the youth spectrum.  But I’ve always prided myself on being abnormal, and my interest in politics, sadly, is no exception to my abnormality.

I watch political talk shows.  I listen to debates.  I have an hour-long commute starting before six in the morning every day.  Do I spend it listening to sports recaps or music?  Nope, NPR.  I’m the extreme end of the political interest spectrum (though I never was elected to anything besides Historian).

I know I’m weird, but I am also bewildered.  I spent four years at college with people who just got the right to vote.  Many people in my graduating class voted in their first election their freshman year, mere months after becoming eligible.  Isn’t that supposed to be fantastic?  I am now a vote.  I matter.  Even if I am one of ten million votes, I am the 9,708,642^nd vote, dammit!  And you’d better make sure it counts.

So why when we get this new right, this right to affect change, do the youth say “whatever”?  I spend way too much time on Facebook, and I see the posts. 

“Why should I choose the lesser of two evils?  They don’t know anything about me.” 

“This guy started talking to me about the upcoming election.  I pointed him to someone who cares.”

“I just made my decision!  On November sixth, I’m going to actually do something productive instead of waste three hours voting!”

Are you kidding me?

I am a part of the most apathetic generation in the history of United States voting.  My friends and classmates don’t care about voting, because it doesn’t matter.  No matter what, everything just stays the same.

And they’re right.  My generation is right.  If they don’t vote, if people my age do not drop the xbox controller and go to the polls, nothing is going to change.  Politicians are never going to care about the rights of our youth.  Why should they, we’re not going to vote against them.  We’re not going to vote, period.

Voting is a right and a weapon.  If even half of 18-30 year olds voted in this country, wouldn’t have alternative energy plans, we’d already have solutions.  Our deficit and debt wouldn’t be so high, and we’d be invested in our education at more than 2% of the federal budget.  Why would all these be realities?  It’s not because politicians will suddenly become more idealist, better people if younger people, quite the opposite.  Politicians pander to those who will show up.  Ask yourself why gutting medicare and social security is so unpopular in Washington.  It’s because seniors vote, and they want their benefits.

We have options in this republic of ours.  Choose not to vote in protest.  Choose not to vote because you believe every single person in American politics is scum, and you won’t support a failed system.  But if you don’t vote because you think that your vote doesn’t matter, it does.  Because you will be a statistic that people look at, and understand as importance.

Maybe someday I can be voter 12,645,027 of the youth population.  Maybe not.  But I want to try.  Do you?

“Decisions are made by those who show up.”

-          C.J. Cregg, Press Secretary

The West Wing