Waiting On The World To Change?

Courtney Martin in The American Prospect summing up how many of us feel-

"We are not apathetic. What we are, and perhaps this is what Friedman was picking up on, is totally and completely overwhelmed. One of the most critical questions of our time is one of attention. In a 24-7 news climate, it is all but impossible to emotionally engage all of the stories and issues you are taking in, and then act on them in some pragmatic way. So instead, young people become paralyzed ...

...My generation tries to create lives that seem to match our values, but beyond that it's hard to locate a place to put our outrage. We aren't satisfied with point-and-click activism, as Friedman suggests, but we don't see other options. Many of us have protested, but we -- by and large -- felt like we were imitating an earlier generation, playing dress-up in our parents' old hippie clothes... In the 21st century, a bunch of people marching down the street, complimenting one another on their original slogans and pretty protest signs, feels like self-flagellation, not real and true social change.

When Friedman was young and people were taking to the streets, there were a handful of issues to focus on and a few solid sources of news to pay attention to. Now there is a staggering amount of both. If I read the news today with my heart wide open and my mind engaged, I will be crushed. Do I address the injustices in Sudan, Iraq, Burma, Pakistan, the Bronx? Do I call an official, write a letter, respond to a MoveOn.org request? None of it promises to be effective, and it certainly won't pacify my outrage."

What she said. This blog is cathartic, but it accomplishes nothing. But at least I am engaged.

The Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum also defends the current generation by noting that the fabled era of '60s activism (civil rights, anti-Vietnam, sexual revolution, etc) is the exception in American history, not the rule. He states, "it's not the 80s, 90s, or 00s that are unique here. What's unique was a single period of about ten years from the early 60s to the early 70s... It was sui generis, and pretending otherwise is silly." And also recall that the draft was what fueled the original anti-war protests. Now, things seem less personal.

As Jon Stewart said, Americans are busy. But I don't think it's that they don't care.