Yes, the leaves are changing colors, but let’s be real, that just means they’re dying.
Yes, it’s technically sweater weather, but it’s Southern California, so unless I want to start sweating to death by one p.m., I’m going to stick to a t-shirt.
And yes, pumpkin spice lattes are back on the black chalkboards of Starbucks stores, but do I really want to throw all my cash at a huge corporation for a drink that is essentially hot milk and artificial pumpkin seasoning? Eh I’ll save my calories.
Okay, okay, I am sorry. That was a little over dramatic, but I am tired of these frivolous things being shoved in my face this time of year when there are more important issues at hand. While these fun and festive aspects of fall are great, it bothers me that no one seems to care that midterm elections are around the corner. I feel like it should be an even bigger deal than pumpkin bins outside of Trader Joe’s (although I’ll admit that does still make me giddy), but that happens every single year. Midterm elections are special because they only happen every two years, and this year they are more critical than ever.
Orange County, California has been a historically red district in terms of voting for the House of Representatives; however, this year it has become a battleground. For the first time in its history, both the Republicans and the Democrats have established campaign committee offices in our district (Roll Call). Liberals are fighting hard to turn the 45th district blue, for if won, could play a major role in the Democrats regaining a majority in the House.
Our votes have never been more crucial, yet political participation on campus is low. When I was in high school, I always perceived colleges to be breeding grounds for political activism; places where students were courageous enough to protest, and make their beliefs widely known. However, upon becoming a college student myself, I was sadly disappointed. It seems that not all schools are like UC Berkeley, and UC Irvine especially is nowhere near.
I did not realize this until a video popped up on my Facebook feed. Jacob Soboroff, a MSNBC News correspondent for the Today Show, came to the UC Irvine campus to interview students about the upcoming election. To say the least, I was shocked by what I saw.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Only one student said that they had registered to vote. Now, I don’t know if the other students stayed silent because they didn’t want to be interviewed or they weren’t paying attention, but I hate that I have to give them the benefit of the doubt. On top of this, the student who was interviewed didn’t even keep up with the news. When asked about current hot topics, he essentially responded that the only issue he cared about was tuition. Not the Russia investigation. Not Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court. Just school.
I was not only disappointed by those students’ ignorance on important political issues, but by their lack of activism. Another student who was interviewed answered that she probably should vote but didn’t state that she was even planning to register.
However, at the end of the day there is nothing to be done now. Registration closed this past week and I can only hope that everyone who registered to vote will vote, and show the country that our generation is the change we need in this world.