Friday, at lunch, I ate with a good friend who is active in another specialized-interest group. (It's an art club, of sorts. Nothing sexual.) She's unhappy with the lack of involvement with some of the other people in the field. Those in leadership positions tend to move slowly, if at all, and the great unwashed masses tend only to bitch about what does get accomplished, without volunteering to assist.
As a result, my friend tends to shoulder much of the load. She's always volunteering for this and that, and often gets overwhelmed with work. And if it continues, she's going to burn out, and turn her back on something she loves.
I can relate.
But, unfortunately, that's the way people are. In any subculture, in any club, or special interest, there's going to be a small slice that is fired up and ready to go, while the majority simply wants to reap the benefits.
Most people have no interest in lobbying for this bill, or that ordinance. It's why we hire politicians to do it for us. Most people don't care about human rights if it doesn't hurt them. That's why hard news audiences are shrinking while entertainment shows flourish.
Before the election, Barack Obama spoke at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium. If I remember correctly, there were about 35,000 there. All of them were enthused about changing the world. They cheered when Obama talked about equality for all. They all promised to vote, if they hadn't already.
That scene was repeated, over and over across the country.
Election day? Predictions for voter turnout were in the 80% range. What did we get? 61%
Less than two weeks after the election, the crowds protesting Prop 8, while still impressive, weren't anywhere near what was seen at the Obama rallies.
Again, a couple of weeks after the Prop 8 protest, the number of people coming out for a vigil to support marriage rights had dropped from the hundreds to the dozens.
(These are all local observations, but I'd be willing to bet that on average, they reflect what's happened across the country.)
People were excited about the election. But, they just can't maintain that enthusiasm. There's TV to be watched, video games to be played, music to be listened to.
My biggest fear during the election was that while everyone was calling for change, with an Obama victory, they'd assume the fight was over. They'd assume they don't have to do anything, because the President will take care of it for them. I was heartened by the attendance at the Prop 8 rally, but, I think we, as a nation, are slipping back into our complacency. We're all wondering what Britney is going to wear in her next video. We're looking at the pictures people post, and not reading what they have to say.
It's depressing, I know, but it's also the truth. Most people don't care. So, those that do just have to accept that, and keep pushing that boulder up the hill.
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2 comments:
Along with other reasons, I blame the media. Back in the day, there were 'in depth' stories that took the time to examine the issues. Now an in depth story lasts about 5min. and it's off to something else. Tv commercials were 6o sec long, now they are 15, with even short blasts that last 5 sec. Newspapers are closing, Tv has taken over. The children of the 80's grew up, and their attention span is so short that they need stimulation constantly or they get bored. It's going to get worse too, since everything is geared toward the making of a dollar. It needs to change, but I don't know how that can be accomplished.
It's like what some of us were saying before the election. "Just calm down and wait until all these raving people go back into their cave for another 4 years..."
While you can think of that as a defeatist statement and a sad picture of how much people really don't care - it can also be seen in optimism. While they sleep for the next four years letting their president do what they think they wanted him to, we the awake and very much aware are here and we're going to move things along just fine.
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