One day a year, most people will suddenly mimic the role of an ideal patriot and don the red, white and blue colors of the country’s flag in their outfits, house decorations or even picnic napkins. Of the crowd, it has usually been the youth who have lacked true understanding of what patriotism entails.
Apparent from the low voter turnout and a long-withstanding stereotype of apathy toward rights and politics, the members of the younger population must work to reverse the trend.
This Independence Day, those that fall in the apathetic category must vow to reverse the cultivation of an apathetic culture. In a time with so much at stake with respect to politics and policy, attending a picnic with the remembrance of those who fought to secure fundamental rights is simply not enough.
A commitment to questioning the authority and the government should be a pervasive action because an often silent, but powerful unofficial branch in charge of keeping a check on federal policies is the people.
The right to vote must be exercised. Students of a university cannot complain of high tuition costs if they are not paying attention to propositions on the ballots and political candidates that may have an effect on the matter.
This Fourth of July, those more interested in fireworks than the first amendment should reevaluate how informed their decisions are on a daily basis and take the first step to correct where they went apathetic.