Over the past week I've made a conscious effort to listen more intently to what people are saying about the election, intelligent and well... not so intelligent. In class the other day I was listening to side conversations around me and one went a little something like this.
GIRL: "So who are you voting for?"
BOY: "Hell I don't know. I don't know anything about any of that crap. All I know is Obama is cool and McCain is old."
A friend of mine asked me if I was going to vote. I answered "Hell yes I'm voting, aren't you?" His response was the all too typical, "No, because I'm young, dumb, uninformed and I just don't give a sh!t."
(Out of the mouths of youth in America...)
I feel like that pretty much sums up our age group... sad but true. For one, the election is not "crap". It's very important and we are approaching pivotal point in our countries history. The topic of my post from a few weeks ago goes hand-in-hand with the idea behind this weeks post. We are too easily influenced by stereotypes and political image. What makes Obama "cool"? Yes, I would say McCain is old, but why does that make him unfavorable? We need good old fashioned INFORMATION to back up these claims. Information is made readily available to us, but we shun the facts when they are not pumped directly into our veins through flashy images or through the mouths of our favorite celebrities.
"We actually have to READ the paper...?" *groan*
"Hey, look! P Diddy says we should 'rock the vote' so I guess I'll vote. But who for? You be McCain, I'll be Obama and we'll just rock-paper-scissors."
2 comments:
I think a huge part of our generation not getting very involved in voting and the election is because a lot of the issues don't feel like they directly affect us. But some day they will. I think it is sad people won't take the time to learn more than the stereotypes about the candidates and with how important and influential a president is, I think we nee do our best to get involved and vote.
This is pretty much true...however, i have some of those over-achieving-type friends who dig inot politics as if it is thier bread and butter. Very few and far apart, bu they are out there. Isn't it funny how accepting our generation is of their stereo-type of being lazy and uninformed? 'everyone thinks I am a moron, so I might as well go watch Jackass again...' we recognize these veiw, and few do little to change it...
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