Eww, politics

Apathy is rarely an acceptable excuse. Determining whether apathy is acceptable depends on the stakes we have regarding the topic.

Not caring when you have stake in something isn’t apathy, though. It’s laziness. And the worst type is the apathy of college students toward politics and world news.

The quickest way to test if someone is apathetic toward the news is to bring a current topic up in conversation and see how long the discussion goes.

I’ve found when two people keep up with the news, starting a conversation about issues will be easy. Stopping the conversation, on the other hand, not so much.

Currently the big issue is the debt crisis. It’s a giant smorgasbord of why people should care about politics, as well as perfect examples of why people hate them.

For the apathetic, politics has a negative connotation, which is being supported by the games being played in Congress. But the debt ceiling impacts everyone, so apathy toward keeping up with the crisis isn’t acceptable.

For students, the biggest impact that will be felt from a default is the risk of losing a total of $800 billion in financial aid, student loans and Pell Grants.

The risk of losing aid to go to school should be enough to motivate students to become active and call their representatives to tell them what they want.

Students should also realize the debates are over the debt the previous generation has created, but we will be paying.

So unless you can figure out how to turn a profit through playing Farmville, a little more attention to the world and your country would be a good place to start.

It is a bit strange that apathy has become an issue when so many college students love to boast about America.

Seeing gaudy American flag T-shirts or jackets isn’t uncommon when you go to a party or a bar. And if that shirt has an awesome quote on it, you know you’re everyone’s best friend for the night.

So, here is a new rule: Unless you actually keep up with your own countries’ issues and the decisions it makes, no more of that.

It shouldn’t be that hard to follow. All you have to do is make it a habit to turn on the radio, read a newspaper or go online for about 20 minutes a day.

Then you can intelligently yell about your love for your country and you can educate your listeners. Hooray, everyone wins!

I realize some people will never show enough responsibility to keep up and they will continue to live in ignorance.

I guess this is what it’s like for dentists when they tell people to floss and they won’t listen.

So get out there, or simply open your computer and make it a point to know what the hell is going on in your country today.

Also, you should talk about it with other people. If you know someone who doesn’t keep up with the world, I’ve always found that making him or her feel bad about it until they change is the best way to fix that.

­— agreiner@indiana.edu