… AKA, “I’m just too privileged to care”.
As we begin to chatter once again over the upcoming presidential election, I can’t help but express my frustration with the pained and privileged, “I’m just not that into politics”. Whether it be your grandma, friend, next-door neighbor or professor, we’ve all encountered this declaration and have managed to sweep it under the rug time and time again.
When we speak of privilege and power, our minds often conjure an image of the white male, with his wife, kids and a white picket fence surrounding his untouchable life–let’s call him Bob. Bob’s white picket fence encloses him with his luxuries, and blocks his view of those not privy to such a life. Bob is empowered by his privilege to declare, “I’m just not that into politics,” because he bears no stake in the matter. At the end of the day, or at the end of the election, rather, Bob knows that his own hegemonic posture will remain salient, and so, the way he sees it, there’s no personal-gain in using his vote, or his voice.
And so, it is with the airing fate of our democracy dangling over our heads until November of 2020 that I find it necessary to highlight the importance of our votes as the freshest faces of our impending society.
The reasons are never ending, however the first and foremost being: our right to vote obligates all to exercise it. The most fundamental right a United States citizen has is that which allows us to choose our government–and by consequence, the ways in which we work, live, advocate and learn. Though the previous and upcoming elections have done an immense job in dividing our society every which way, I firmly believe that the things that unite us outnumber the ones that seem to divide.
Ladies, it is our time to shine. It only took us 100 years to get here. Let’s not squander it.
While the right to vote is widely recognized as a fundamental human right, this isn’t totally true for millions of individuals around the world today and in American history.
In part due to illiteracy, poverty, discrimination, and unfair election processes, disenfranchised groups lack access to the vote. Some of these groups include the homeless, the disabled, those imprisoned and those who commit crimes.
In the midst of dealing with our personal lives and whatever else consumes our thoughts on the daily, the world continues to change and evolve under the nuances of our time and increasing opportunities for all walks of life. Technology will keep advancing and the world won’t wait! Let’s get to the polls and make our mark in history.
Edited by Isabelle Halpern