Why We Should Interview People About Apathy and Find Solutions
To conclude this short episode, here are some “hot takes” on political apathy. Respondents in this heavily flawed and biased survey were the first three friends that I was next to. When asked, “what are your thoughts on political apathy?”, here are the answers:
“Empathy as an emotion requires that we care about the things occurring around us. Given the amount of human suffering experienced in plain view every day of our lives, empathy must be applied selectively. I care about things like elections and foreign policy, but to care about every single issue at every single moment will sap you of any ability to meaningfully affect these issues. Selective apathy allows us to focus on the things we can change and not burn out from the horrible shit that happens daily.” -David
This first take is from my friend David, and I’d like to thank him for choosing to not be anonymous for this blog post to prove that I actually asked people. He is heavily engaged in politics and enjoys observing gerrymandered maps and studying past elections in the United States. I think this is an interesting perspective, especially when stating that “selective apathy” may be a preferred route than an extremist point of view. I like the juxtaposition between “empathy and apathy” included here. David’s quote conveys the idea of realism in our modern society instead of an idealistic or cynical take on this touchy subject. I agree that an all-or-nothing mindset may not be appropriate for a political perspective, but I unfortunately am a massive zealot.
The second friend I asked preferred to remain anonymous, so they will be channeled in spirit. They said, “I don’t know what it is.” -Anonymous Ocelot. Here, “it” refers to the term political apathy. I would like to clarify that I didn’t give any context when my friends were briefed with “thoughts on political apathy” because I wanted an honest and unbiased response. This Anonymous Ocelot has an interesting perspective. They, like myself, seem removed from the political world, and I respect that. I empathize (ironically) with this and I like how they are freely open to admit that they have no clue what’s going on. I don’t either. The Anonymous Ocelot embodies all of us that do feel apathetic about politics and I’d like to acknowledge that this is acceptable.
The final friend I asked gave me an unexpected answer, and I am very intrigued by their quote. “Political apathy is the product of privilege.” -Anonymous Gopher. This statement is powerful and concise, and I can tell that they feel strongly without being overbearing. I wouldn’t have guessed that they would have said this, so I was entertained by the nice variety of perspectives I was given. They evoke the idea that people shouldn’t be apathetic towards political ideas and should participate. This fresh take is something I may slightly disagree with, but I respect their opinion and I was curious to hear this.
I feel like the only political engagement I have done was registered to vote, and even that took me a while to do. I would like to offer some nice solutions to possibly find a cure to apathy and inspire myself, and others.
One solution that already has an impact is opening methods of voting. According to Npr.org, “If early voting trends are any indication, a record number of Americans could vote in the 2020 presidential election. As of this writing, more than 100 million early votes have been cast by mail or in person – more than two-thirds of the total number of votes cast in 2016.” In theory, I think this idea would work, but in practice, I am a bit sus. This is an interesting solution, especially in pandemic times, but I do feel like it is heavily flawed. I don’t know how much data there is for past elections, so that would be something that would be interesting to look into.
Another solution involves making a bigger deal out of voting. As stated on History.com, “Today, there are renewed calls to make election day more festive—or at least a national holiday on which more people can exercise their civic duty and vote. “Declaring Election Day a federal holiday and rekindling the celebratory spirit that marked the day in previous centuries would be an important step toward promoting democratic participation,” writes historian Holly Jackson for the Washington Post” (Blakemore). This quote pertains to voting in the past, as mentioned in my first civic issue blog. I don’t know why people stopped celebrating this event, but maybe that has influenced possible patterns of apathy.
Additionally, “The idea has been proven successful: In 2007, political scientists were able to use election-day celebrations to drive voter turnout. Election Day may never again be soaked in rum and filled with brawling, drunken parades, but Jackson and others argue that revisiting some elements of colonial election day traditions could boost voter turnout” (Blakemore). Rooting back to the aforementioned quote, why have the parties vanished? I feel like this would be a fun analysis to consider. Although I heavily critiqued colonial politics and historical methods, I can say that this strategy worked.
Further research would be required to follow up on this issue, but I have not been cured of my political apathy, which is somewhat hindering me from pursuing more information. The Anonymous Gopher has just notified me that another solution could be to increase awareness and education about the importance of democracy, how to get involved in politics, and other methods of civic engagement. In contrast, David has voiced his agreement with the Anonymous Gopher and has suggested that people pace themselves and to not doom themselves with problems that they can’t fix or are too big for them to handle.
Sometimes, it is acceptable to simply not care, but it should be noted that starting friendly debates is entertaining.
Reference:
https://www.history.com/news/colonial-america-election-day-parties