by Timothy Reaves

Created on: March 30, 2009

Writers Note: My view on politics has changed somewhat from when I wrote this piece, but I think it serves to explore the reality of political apathy on young people, whether intelligent or not.

As the thick black smoke from the car in front of me clears, I get one fleeting glance at the bumper sticker on the old jalopy: "GOD is not spelled G.O.P.'" While this might be somewhat clever, it only serves to annoy me. I am becoming angrier and angrier at anybody who has a strong opinion on either side of the issues that have been tearing at America for the last several years. As conditions in this country worsen, I find myself inversely numb to everything. While this may not be the sentiment of the majority of America's youth, I only know what I feel, and that is what I will describe.

My parents often reminisce about the days of their youth, the turbulent Sixties and Seventies. Though the do not mention it, I am certain that they were at least strongly opinionated. When I compare their state to mine, I sometimes question my complete apathy toward politics, the war, and other issues which should be greatly important to me.
I have never voted, and honestly, I never plan to vote. I fall into the category of people who feel that voting is utterly pointless in a system where whoever wins will just further America's demise. My parents vote straight Republican, which disgusts me, not because I am anti-Republican, but because I see no sense in voting for a candidate because of his/her party rather than his/her views and ethics.

Rather than involve myself in politics, I am content to bury my head in books and studies. I find that like most young people, I spend hours on the internet, clicking away my time. Through these endless hours of pointless tasks, my mind's eye has closed in a sort of perpetual blink. I have given no deep thoughts to anything truly important in quite a while, and have no plans to do that either.

The gap between my parents' generation and mine, though chronologically small, is unfathomably large. So much has changed in the last thirty years. In the Sixties there were daily protests against the war.
So far I have only seen one where I live, and I went to it to laugh at the people who thought that they were making a difference. Hence the root of my numbness and apathy: I do not hold the ideal that one person, or even many, can make any real difference.

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