By Emily Gorner (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: February 20, 2013
It seems ironic to me that a generation so enthusiastic about self-surveillance via social networks is so unwilling to surveil their own government.
Despite the majority of us having at least some vague political ideology, along with a not-so-vague opinion on how the world should be run, our generation shows a complete disinterest in politics. Perhaps it has something to do with how we teach history; every major movement is summarized so conveniently – everything is a revolution. Unfortunately, reality operates in tedious roads that take a century or so to traverse. It’s hard to look at all the great changes in our past, and focus in on all the tiny efforts it took to make them happen. So, why should I vote? Why should I take interest in a system that I won’t reap any personal outcomes from?
Only necessity can facilitate change; in the face of radical politicians, citizens are more than willing to raise hell. Countries with systems in dire need of reform are wrought with violence. This is not a sight we see here in Canada. We did see some active protest in Quebec last spring with the rise of tuition, and while the increase wasn’t necessarily the work of radical politicians, it gave some necessity to the ever-starving student. This leaves me to suspect that the reason the majority of this generation shows so much political apathy is simply ignorance.
It is so easy to let things slip by you when you don’t even see them. Voter apathy can be summed up to relative peace in the small picture, minor concerns for the big picture, and feelings of helplessness to make a difference, for which only intentional ignorance is the answer. You think your vote doesn’t count? It sure would be a lot easier to say you’re not informed enough to participate in the next election than to find out why it doesn’t.
I’m not saying any person should just start a violent riot and take what they assume is theirs – what I’m saying is that you should inform yourself so that our system doesn’t change into something unrecognizable while we are purposefully watching our Facebook feeds. The funny thing about a democracy is that it requires participation not only by the government, but by the citizens. Things never change overnight, but when you choose to ignore politics, it sure seems like they do. It’s like when falling asleep during a movie and waking up to find that the loveable protagonist has got themselves a drug addiction and lost their job. You may not like what you’ve found, and wonder how on earth it got that way. Changes are always extreme if you haven’t observed the causes.
If you choose to ignore the politics of your country, you may wake up someday to find that you do not recognize your country, or that you have no say. If you do want a say, find out why your vote doesn’t count. When it comes to politics, just remember: nobody is asking you to change the world. If given a world to run, like any university student, you would probably put it off until next week and order a pizza. All anyone could ask of you is your awareness, and awareness is the least you should ask of yourself.
