Maybe I’m too cynical, but I just fail to understand how
most people on this campus can care so little about what is going
on in the world.
Since 1971, the Twenty Sixth Amendment has given 18- to
21-year-olds a right they did not previously possess, the right to
vote. The big push to pass this amendment came at the heels of the
1960s anti-war protests over Vietnam, with attempts to parallel the
fighting age with the voting age. Youth voting has steadily
declined since then.
Now it’s 2002, and young people no longer have a cause
like the Vietnam War to rally around. They no longer have a need to
make their case. There isn’t a central divisive issue that
pulls kids together and makes them want to influence the direction
of a government they feel has no effect on them. But wait.
As my roommate was moving in this weekend, she came across her
voter registration form and commented, “Oooh, I need to
change my voter registration so I can vote down here.”
I was shocked. Here was an 18-year-old who actually was going to
register to vote and then, as I gathered from subsequent
conversations, follow through in November.
Maybe there is no one huge overpowering issue that draws young
people together and causes them to care. But what if Iraq becomes
the next Vietnam, and your brother has to go off and fight in a
war? What if the next corporate scandal puts your parents out of
work and changes your life? What if the state government has to cut
UC funds so much that your education is severely affected? What if
taxes are raised and your paycheck is lower and suddenly you
can’t buy that video game you’ve had your eye on, or
that pair of pants you’ve been dying to own?
These issues, and so many more, do and will affect you directly,
and your vote is the most powerful voice you have.
It is admittedly easy to get lost in the daily rhythm of
classes, studying, sports, music, friends and parties. It’s
too easy to forget there’s an entire world out there.
If the TV wasn’t tuned to the news, students could
literally go for weeks at a time without hearing about anything
other than their immediate world. No wonder polls have shown pop
culture icons like Britney Spears are better known among young
adults than the vice president.
That’s not what college students should be concerned with.
It’s important for us to be aware of what’s going on in
the world. That’s what college is really all about ““
opening your mind, changing, and broadening your perspective to
include the multitudes of ideas and issues swirling around you.
If you are aware of your world, you will be more interesting and
well-rounded. And once you are aware of what’s going on,
exercise your right to vote because there’s no better way to
express yourself and take advantage of the fact you’re an
American. If you become one of the exceptions to the apathy-rule,
we are that much closer to helping the youth of America find its
voice.