Being true to my nature - and the fact that 2010 is election year in the United Kingdom - I have lately found myself discussing politics with several people. This week, my University is holding elections for important positions in the Student Union (think a trade union for those who don't work). I would never in a million years stand for election, myself, but I am very interested in the process of
realpolitik, and this year I decided to join a friend's campaign team. I won't go into any details, here, since I'm sure you don't care about who is or isn't elected as Education Officer for the University of Sussex Student Union; but going out on the campaign trail and talking about where politics in this country is going has led me to some very curious - and frankly disturbing - conclusions. My generation appears to be both a) hugely ignorant of how politics works on a local, national and international scale; and b) unbelievably stupid, even within the supposed haven of the university institution. Actually, I came to that second conclusion a week after beginning university, but it has steadily solidified over the past three and a half years. What is more shocking is the realisation that democracy is beginning to lose its value in our society simply because the majority of the future leading generation - i.e. those of us between 18 and 25 years old - don't even care about what is going on right in front of their eyes.
To paraphrase the words of one person I spoke to: "Most of us [students] just want to go to uni, go to our classes,
buy our stuff, and be left alone by the angry protesting socialists" (my emphasis). Where do I begin to criticise: the apathy, the ignorance, the mildly insulting generalisation or the horrifying commercialism? Screw it, if that statement encapsulates the average young person's opinion, then there is no hope.
I know that British youth are supposed to feel disenganeged from the workings of a political process and system which has alienated most of the population at large, but there is a line. Time was when young people were at least idealistic. Nowadays, though, it seems that those of us who grew up watching
He-Man,
ThunderCats and the
Power Rangers - three examples of the first wave of "franchised children's television", a type of programming which entertained the children as well as exploiting the power of merchandise - are more interested in acquisition and possession. If you're under 30 and live in the West, you probably only know about a world in which privatisation, marketing and aggressive one-upmanship are the order of the day. This has been reflected in recent years by an increase in business-related education programmes, less interest in and funding for creative endeavours, and absolutely no regard for the poor or disadvantaged. In other words,
Thatcher and
Reagan won.
The problem, now, is where do we go from here? At best, my generation of voters feels a moral obligation to correct the mistakes of the past, but has little to no sense of having the power to make these corrections; at worst, we don't see a problem, and don't give a damn if there is. The result? A splintered and broken electorate who will play right into the hands of a small elite whith its own domineering agenda. The ludicrous irony of it all is that when the population grumbles about being misrepresented, the people sit back and do nothing to change it; lamenting the futility of democracy but being too lazy to actually put it into positive effect. I'm not sure democracy is even the best method of government, but it seems to be the fairest system we humans have come up with so far, and therefore it must be worth a chance.
That's why I'm campaigning for this year's Student Union elections. Even if people decide not to vote for the candidate I'm supporting, they need to know that they actually have a right to vote. That goes for every student, every worker or unemployed person, and every legal citizen, everywhere. Otherwise, we fall into the dangerous trap of having no voice, and the even more depressing delusion of having no power.
Clips, Music, Miscellany from Everybody's Favourite Tube
Can someone please help? I don't know what's happening to me. I've become a nightmarish version of myself, a parodic reflection of my worst fears. I've started liking men I know to be (gulp) STRAIGHT! I have, of course, always found men of most orientations attractive, but rarely have I ever been attracted to men who don't share my own; and never have I actually really fancied gentlemen who prefer curves. The idea of "turning" has always seemed ludicrous, and a little sinister, not to mention a waste of time. It's hard enough work trying to get a gay man's attention, let alone spending my energy on someone who'll never be interested because we share chromasomes.
Clips, Music, Miscellany from Everybody's Favourite Tube
Remember that bout of righteous fury I was so vocal about, a while back?
You know some days, when you wake up four hours later than planned; you've missed your classes; you can't go shopping, because you'll need to do some reading; you procrastinate, and decide not to do anything at all?
An obscure word a day keeps the idiots away!
