Essay E2 Proposal

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Tim Graef
WRI1100
Mr. John Kahle
03OCT14

Youth and Sociopolitical Indifference “Why should I care?” This question truly is the meat and potatoes of a much deeper issue among young people around the globe. The relatively recent advent of pervasive social media supplies a new generation of minds with an endless barrage of instant rhetoric and satire. And we drink it up. One would think that more information would equate to a greater hunger for knowledge, but an issue seems to reside in the apparent lack of motivation for active participation in community and politics among young people today. In stark contrast to the spry activism of the 1960’s, today’s youth and even those well into adulthood seem to exude a deep apathy for affecting social change. From where does this stem, and if we can recognize the seemingly intangible problem, what can be done to turn a collective mindset in a progressive direction? I present that there are measurable strides we who experience this indifference can make to flip the light switch in the minds of today’s youth. In his 2010 TED talk, Dave Meslin, a social activist living in Toronto, delivers an optimist’s guide to understanding and responding to social apathy. He initiates with the statement that essentially, the barrier of entry for knowledge in many fields of activism available is one that most people simply cannot meet, whether by education or interest. Not only that but the ideas and methods used to promote social and political causes or are bland and uninteresting,

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inciting little in the way of enthusiasm for involvement. Meslin’s argument states that apathy is often not the central issue, but rather companies and government organizations which
“intentionally exclude
” those who may otherwise be eager to participate. He concludes, however, with three measurable steps which could help lead the collective societal mindset toward more active participation. According to Meslin, we must “ redefine, identify, and dismantle the obstacles,
” and if we can do that, we truly can move forward. Ideally they should not have to, but leaders in business and politics must discourage elitist thinking and encourage involvement and activism. If people bear in mind that their involvement in social or political causes is being deliberately barred, I believe there could be a new wave of volunteers, activists, and passionate dreamers who are eager to dig in and get involved. A second hindrance to social activism in youth could stem from a theory known as
“falseconsciousness,” developed by German philosopher and political scientist, Karl Marx.
Marx wrote on and defined this process as one in which “ people are unable to see things, especially oppression, exploitation, and social relations as they are; the hypothesized inability of the human mind to develop a sophisticated awareness of how it is developed and shaped by circumstances.
” Thus, the often well intentioned yet uninformed majority of society may simply continue in ignorance and, by doing so, perpetuate a cultural mindset that is out of touch with reality. It doesn’t take Sherlock’s powers of deduction to see that our perspectives are being enticed toward halftruths every day. Evidence of this is ubiquitous in many U.S. media sources, where the right of free speech is regularly twisted toward agendas to incite fear, resentment, and ignorant thinking which is then absorbed by the masses, affecting the paradigm of society as a whole. The remedy for this is consciousness; the ability of each

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person to assess and discern what she or he takes in, spurring them on toward a more enlightened way of interacting with the world. Turning to the third century BCE, Plato states that leadership of a state or nation requires only the best and wisest among all the people, and that crucial decisions should be left to those with

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