Now I'd like us to take a moment to think just how many times in the past couple of years you clicked "maybe attending" for a Don't Ask, Don't Tell or Tea Party rally, when you honestly had no true intention of going. How many times did you read that article about how you should send an email to your state's senator to get your voice heard about whatever decision they were making at the time, but it was too much work to click the link and slightly edit the already typed up response to fit the way you personally feel.
As an American citizen and a member of Generation Y who is witnessing an oppressive government stripping its citizens of one of the few rights they had, I've gotta say, this whole "I'm a hipster and don't really care about anything" shtick is getting really old. There comes a time when you have to care about the world around you. You have to put down your Moleskin notebook and do something.
I'm not saying we should drop everything we're doing to have an Egyptian-sized protest in the streets, but we could actually watch the State of the Union Address when it's on. It really doesn't take that much effort to go to a rally at least once or twice a year and actually participate. It doesn't even have to be a rally that is innately political; attend a Pride parade, go door knocking with your church, or talk to the union strikers to find out what it's actually about. Most important, care about the other people surrounding you. Don't be afraid to stay informed and actually make informed decisions when you vote.
We're a generation that has been told many times we could be whatever we wanted to be. Let's want to be a generation that makes a difference.
Article comments
1 - Kathy Jones
Terry, very interesting and astute essay. I just finished writing something about the Egyptian protests for a political theory blog I maintain. The political significance of the internet is impressive in these situations. You are right: many of us in the U.S. have become complacent politically speaking. And we have so many more means to become active, even in the face of economic and social obstacles.