Well, before I start with what I think about their apathetic attitude towards politics, I must admit that I was terribly apathetic towards politics, whether its local or foreign politics. I must also admit, I am not proud of it, but I broke away from it and have slowly been working on my Political interest.So why was I apathetic? My only reason, is that “I cant vote, so why bother about it now? I will do so, once I hit 21 and can vote!” Hence, I have turned 21 this year, so I am slowly picking the interest on Politics up. Also, the recent Presidential Campaigns that happened in the USA, fueled my interest (thank god for that!).
But anyways, why are some young adults and the youth out there, apathetic towards politics?
Well, lets try to make sense out of this phenomenon…
Firstly, majority of the youth are of underage to vote. Voting is one way, and probably the only way one can make a difference or have a say in the politics of their country. If we are unable to even do that, why do we have to worry and crack our heads over politics? A common thought among the youths would be that; “when I turn 21 or am legal to vote already, then I will care about politics and find out what is going on in that realm”. Even when we accidentally come across some information about the politics in Singapore, or the recent Presidential Campaigns in USA, we rarely treasure it as worthwhile information and thus let it go through one ear, and out the other.
However, interestingly and honestly not surprisingly, I think when youth hit a certain age where they know they can argue for their rights and debate about issues, they tend to eavesdrop on some specific political issues. This abnormality would probably start at around 18-19 years old, and pick up from there. Why do I say “eavesdrop”? That would be because, they probably never intended to pay attention to such topics, but somehow come across them and pick up an interest on it. This is especially seen in young men serving in the National Service (NS). I have come across many friends who never bothered about the politics of Singapore or about who is serving in the Ministries of Singapore. Nevertheless, when they enter NS, they gain this interest to know more about the country they are serving, the country that they pledge to give up their leisure lives to protect and the country that has kept them and their family relatively safe. Hence they talk to and discuss with their Majors, their Sirs or even the older recruits in their camps about such things and learn more about it. It is at that phase of their lives, they come to realize they are no longer boys, but men, and ignorance of politics is not of bliss, but of stupidity instead.
Unfortunately, for girls, they are no such structured opportunities. However, one major change of situation that promotes discussing such topics would be Junior Colleges (JC) and University lives. Girls tend to mature at the age of 18-19 (supposedly) and thus the interest kicks in then too, as mentioned before. And at this age, some girls are in JCs (like me), and realize its about time to figure things out about Politics. This came in even more vital, when we had to know more about Politics for one of the A-level papers we had to take; General Paper (GP). That is when at least, I took a little (very little indeed) interest in Politics, and that was only because I needed it for my examination.
Also, besides not being able to vote, young people naturally trust their parents and the older family members to make a good decision in voting. Hence, they tend to leave it in their hands, the future of the country and Politics of the country. Once parents have voiced their preference of candidate to run for Parliament, youths tend to trust their choice and build this assurance in themselves. I am not trying to say that parents make faulty decisions or that they always vote for the wrong candidate. I am trying to say that youths and sometimes young adults, believe that parents will take care of “all this voting business and knowing about Politics well to make an informed decision” . Thus not seeing the need to read up and know more about Politics, on their own accords.
There are many possible reasons as into why youths and young adults might not really bother about Politics. Nevertheless, there will come a point where each and every member of the society, after going through the ignorance phase, see the need to educate themselves about Politics, especially he local Politics. In my case, I guess I have reached that very point of my life the day I turned 21 and knew that in the near future, it will be my turn to vote!
Into.The.Net 