I just got back to my room from voting in the recall election
and UCLA students at my local polling place were nowhere to be
seen.
Granted, many students voted by absentee ballot, while others
voted at different times during the day. Did I just happen to
wander into the polls just before a large rush? I don’t know.
But if my experience is at all indicative of the numbers of UCLA
students who actually voted, then we have a major situation on our
hands.
And I honestly do suspect that we have a problem. While a few
vocal students rally and engage, it seems that the majority of
students simply do not care and would rather watch an episode of
the “Real World” than pay any attention to current
issues. There is a strong apathy among students when it comes to
actively engaging in the wider world ““ either politically or
socially.
Aren’t sure if your vote counts? Think about the 2000
presidential election where the difference in Florida was only a
few hundred votes. Still not motivated? Think of all the places in
the world right now where people can’t vote. Or think about
the hundreds of thousands of people who have given their lives for
democracy. Still aren’t sure if it’s worth your time?
Try music: Put on some Rage Against the Machine. We’ll make a
voter out of you yet.
It doesn’t take becoming an activist to avoid being
apathetic towards important issues that affect our world. There are
more ways for students to learn about modern issues than ever
““ the Internet and 24-hour TV-news channels, for example
““ and yet far fewer of us are aware.
During the 1960s and 1970s, universities were hotbeds of
activism and discourse. Those years are an afterthought today
““ students would rather have fries and Coke than talk about
the occupations of Iraq or Afghanistan.
The problems of students’ apathy go far beyond the recall
election. People who are apathetic shut out the problems of the
world and live in a false, happy land. These students are truly
turning UCLA into an isolated bubble ignorant of the real world
outside of it. If we aren’t part of the solution, then we are
part of the problem.
There are also those who take the “talk is cheap”
attitude and argue that merely talking about problems doesn’t
do anything. But discourse and education are the basis for creating
an aware and active population.
I’ll bet you didn’t know that a recent report by the
National Institute for Space Research showed that between 2001 and
2002, Amazon Rainforest deforestation increased at an astounding
rate of 40 percent and has reached its highest levels since 1995
due to the lack of enforcement of environmental policy in
Brazil.
We have to be aware of problems before we can do anything about
them, and we need to be educated about what the best means of
action are in order to deal with them properly.
Taking the Homer Simpson, “If-I-didn’t
see-it-it-didn’t-happen,” approach will only get us
into more trouble down the road.
Just doing what makes you happy, or doing what’s good for
the disposition can be extremely wasteful and is one of the causes
of student apathy. Taking too much pleasure in the little things in
life ““ like watching your favorite TV program ““ will
turn you into a little couch potato.
Treat this article as your wake-up call. Get up off your couch.
Turn MTV off for a little while, go to your professor’s
office hours, and talk politics with him for a while. Take the time
to write a response to a Viewpoint article you disagreed with. Go
vote. Check out a Bruin Democrats or Bruin Republicans meeting.
The point is that small steps are what make a difference in
society. There are many ways for one to get involved.
So what are you waiting for? Get going!
Bitondo is a third-year political science and history
student.