Increasing political apathy grips Americans
By Roujin Mozaffarimehr
As a political science major, I am not allowed to be apathetic towards politics. Voter turnout is at an all time low in the United States, and just last week I realized the reason why apathetic sentiment toward voting could possibly be contagious.
On the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, I turned off my Shakira CD, and listened to AM radio to see what people were talking about.
Since I need to make an informed decision for the approaching election, I have cut my time dedicated to reading Us Weekly in favor of listening to the news.
One talk show host was discussing the Sept. 11 attacks and its influence on the United States. These ten minutes shook my anti-apathetic views to its core: 40 percent of the American population believes that the Sept. 11 attacks were caused by Saddam Hussein. This means that 40 percent of the population has a completely skewed view on why we are in Iraq today.
Remember, there is no evidence to prove Saddam Hussein was linked to Sept. 11 by any means, yet 40 percent of the country thinks otherwise. This percentage of the population is composed of eligible voters who have the power to vote on issues that effect every American citizen. Is anyone else scared? I know I am.
Other studies also cause me to question the competence of our voters. I recently discovered that there are more Americans that can name each winner of American Idol than those who can name two Supreme Court Justices. Instead of our population reading about national news, it chooses to read about Clay Aiken's newest love interest.
Don't get me wrong. I subscribe to Us Weekly. I am just as involved in celebrity gossip as the next person. But I also make an effort to know what is going on with our nation. We live here, remember? We are citizens of this country, and so we have an obligation to be informed.
Unfortunately, not everybody makes the effort to be informed. It has been five years since the horrendous Sept. 11 attacks happened. In those five years, one would think that the citizens of this country would get their information correct regarding the attack and the war in Iraq. But, sadly, this is not the case.
It's no wonder voter turnout is so low when it appears citizens care more about popular culture than politics.
The more I hear depressing statistics roll off the tongues of talk show hosts, the more helpless I feel as an eligible voter. It seems that only a very slim majority of the population follows political issues during the election season.
Why should I care to read about tax cuts when Ashley Simpson's nose job seems like a more interesting topic?
Don't fall into this trap. It is your obligation as a citizen of this country to be informed. So, here is my advice to you. Pick up a newspaper instead of a tabloid. The world will not end if you do not read this week's Us Weekly the moment it arrives in your mailbox.
Each of us has a responsibility to know what's going on in America. So get to it. You do not need to be a political science major to care about the country you live in.
Roujin Mozaffarimehr is a sophomore political science and Italian major.