Freedom After Speech

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...whose broad stripes and bright stars / through the perilous night...

I have never understood political apathy. On Facebook and Myspace and all those other online social networks, there are usually places that ask for one's political affiliation.

People often put up "apathetic". I understand if you don't want to classify yourself as liberal or conversative; democratic or republican, but I cannot understand apathy.

I understand if you don't totally trust the government, if you subscribe to conspiracy theories, or if you are generally afraid of the big machine. I am too.

I even understand if you just don't know much about the system, how it works, who is in it, etc.

But I cannot understand apathy. Apathy is a lack of feeling or emotion and to have such apathy about American politics is sad.

Not that people aren't entitled to their opinions, but I feel as though Americans feel a little too entitled. The American democratic system is the stuff of dreams.

In America, there is a transition of power without violence or resistance. That is the hallmark of American democracy. No matter which party wins, we can all be sure that our national safety is not vulnerable to internal distress. At the end of the grueling process that is an election, Americans can go about their lives just as they did before. We are all able to travel to work and school safely, go to the grocery store, buy gas, go out to eat, go clubbing, have barbecues and everything else without interruption or threat of death.

There are places in the world in which such a transition is impossible. Transition of power, sometimes to another person of the same party, is equivalent to a declaration of war. Each elections is not just the innaguration of a new leader, but also the innaguration of bloody opposition. And this is in places that subscribe to democracy, rogue as their system may be.

There are more places where people exist under a tyrannical government, with no formal political opposition (because tyranny by definition does not allow that). And the people suffer. The government can be as unfair and cruel as it pleases and there is no one to speak on behalf of the people. Either they leave or they die, because in such a government and such a social climate, life is not reliable option.

So, hate the American government if you want. Do not trust the American government if you can't. Oppose the government. Because in America, that is your right. You have the right to dissent in democracy without fear of government censorship via murder. For that reason, if you can, you must vote, you must pay attention, you must have an opinion.

If enough people stop caring about our government...stop talking, stop questioning, stop listening, stop looking...you give the goverment permission to run amuck. People are not that good. Without supervision, we do not uphold the kinds of characters and behaviors we know are right and the government ain't no damn different. Pay attention. Questioning, criticizing, watching, and listening to the government is supporting the government and maintaining our democracy.