Ignorance and apathy

Kelly Carlson

A few years ago I was approached by a friend who asked me what Democrats and Republicans were. After I realized that she wasn't kidding, I gave her the most non-biased answer I could and went into a short spell of shock. Since then I've realized that she is not alone, and she may actually be in the majority.

United States citizens have the option of essentially two major parties each election. These parties affect virtually everything we do. Yet a surprising amount of college students couldn't even tell you who ran last election.

Through talking to politically ignorant students on this campus I've encountered a plethora of foolish excuses: "I just vote for who my parents tell me to vote for" "I'm just one vote, I can't make a difference" "I don't know anything about politics."

Would you let you parents dress you, pick who you date, or how you will spend your Friday night? Then why allow them to chose who you vote for? Like anything, you and your parents may agree on political issues, but what if you don't? Obviously you'll never know unless you educate yourself. My advice to you is to cut the cord before its too late; You may be destined for twenty-five years of heated games of Yahtzee and the Hallmark television movie of the week on Friday nights.

For the person who says that just one vote doesn't make a difference, the level of your ignorance is matched only by the thickness of your skull. I have no time for you, and I would rather that you didn't vote anyway, as your uneducated decisions will only taint an election that would be, without you, eenie meeie minee moe free.

Many other excuses seem to fall into one large category. The person who knows nothing about how our government works. This is reversible, although you are not as much of a slacker as the last profile, you still need to buck up and take the law into your own hands (no pun intended). Educate yourself! You are a college student for crying out loud! Many decisions of much significance are made everyday by just a few people, these decisions influence all of us. Don't you want some say in who those people are? Hopefully you will end up like my friend did, asking for help, looking to educate yourself, and eventually, confidently casting a vote in the next election.

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Kelly Carlson can be reached at: [email protected]

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