We are all living in an extremely exciting and unique period of time in history. Now more than ever, we need to start feeling more comfortable with engaging in genuinely respectful and critical discussions that address everyone’s needs and opinions with dignity. In order to achieve progress within our society and begin building bridges between the divided sides of our politics, everyone must recognize that the issues at stake today apply to them. No matter what you believe, you cannot pretend that the current state of affairs in the American government do not affect you. The greatest threat to our future is apathy. It’s so easy to become jaded and act like there is nothing you can do as one individual that will affect change. It’s even easier to make a joke out of the reactions of others and tell them to calm down. I have a lot of friends who would rather ignore the multitude of social, political, and legal issues that have come to light since this past presidential campaign. I also have friends who, instead of silently ignoring the issues, choose to mock those who do care. “I’m so tired of all of these political posts on social media.” or “Why don’t you stop complaining already and just accept the way things are?” Here is my response to your apathy: I DO give a f**k.
I don’t know exactly when it became cool to not care, but I assume it’s been a pretty longstanding tradition to come off as passive or non-confrontational in order to please others or maybe to elevate yourself above the minutia of political and social debates. Let’s look at the classic example of cool kid extraordinaire Danny Zuko. Danny fell head over heels in love with Sandy in a whirlwind summer romance. But when Danny returned to school in the fall, he had to return to his emotionally stunted, greaser alter ego. So when Danny realizes his summer fling has transferred to Rydell High in a twist of fate and expresses his joy in an outpouring of emotion in front of his friends, he’s mocked incessantly by the T-birds, his very own crew. After experiencing the consequences of the exposure of such genuine feelings, Danny quickly shields his true affection for Sandy and instead embarrases her in front of everyone. Sandy comes off as a stage five clinger when Danny rejects her and acts like she’s just another notch on his belt. And in the end of the scene, Sandy is left feeling silly for having an opinion, an emotion, a voice. So why are we so tempted to act like Danny Zuko in front of a bunch of dudes with low IQs and even lower self esteem? I think it’s because it’s so simple. It’s so easy to say “I don’t care” or “It’s not my problem.” I catch myself saying “I don’t give a f**k” more frequently than I should. In my defense, however, it’s usually when my sister tells me about a deal she found on Groupon or when my brother mentions a fun fact about a baseball game he played when he was eight. That’s much different than saying “IDGAF” to the current activism that’s been increasing in our country.
Despite what some might say, you do not have to participate in activism. But we cannot criticize the efforts of those who do. We have the right to speak, so do not silence us. We have the right to disagree, so do not sever friendships or create walls between us for not seeing eye to eye. We also have the right to protest, so do not shame those who believe in acts of demonstration. I attended the Women’s March in New Orleans on Saturday to express my concern for the current state of social injustice towards not only women but also many other groups within society today who feel misrepresented and/or underrepresented. I understand completely why many men and women did not attend the march. Some of my very best friends chose not to attend. And that’s okay. But what is not okay is shaming and demeaning those who chose to stand in unity against inequality. Unless you’re a Disney villain or Papa Pope from Scandal, you most likely agree with the phrase, “liberty and justice for all.” It sounds strangely familiar, like maybe I learned it on my first day of elementary school or something. Oh, right! That’s the pledge that we take as Americans. And as Americans, we should be patriotic, right? And we should believe in our country and in our government, right? And we should support the equality and freedom of others because that’s what “liberty and justice for all” translates to, right? RIGHT. So my real curiosity is towards those who have questioned others for marching in honor of our country’s pledge to human equality. I understand that you may not agree with our activism, and you may not ever see our side. And that’s still okay. But why try to discourage others by pushing apathy instead of an agenda?
Millions of individuals marched for millions of different reasons. I probably disagree with many women’s motives for marching. I accept Donald Trump’s presidency, and I accept the administration he leads. I accept our electoral process, and I accept that my hope for a female president will have to wait another four years. But I will not accept your apathy. And frankly, neither should you. If you really have no qualms with our government and “are so over this political stuff,” please don’t feel the need to cut down those wish to express themselves differently. We are not hysterical for caring, so don’t treat me like I’m three days into the worst period of my life for expressing a desire for equality!!!!! (Also it’s a little ironic how apathetic people feel the need to post things on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. about how much they don’t care about things that everyone else seems to care about, but they care about you knowing how much they really don’t care. But I digress.) In short, please keep your apathy to yourself. Because Grease would have really sucked if it had ended with Danny being a total dick to Sandy during lunchtime. “We’ll always be together,” so let’s all try to remember that the next time there’s a march for equality and you feel like taking to social media to tell us all about why you DGAF!!!!!