Around 10:30 last night
The night was winding down, customers were few, and so my longtime coworker, K, and I began going over all the necessary gossip. Standing around for hours can be exhausting and there comes a point in the night in which there is nothing left to do. No pots of coffee to brew, no counters to wipe down, no restocking of cream or sugar. Until closing time one can only wait and if no customer appears, this waiting can be tiresome. So, it is natural that gossip (or conversation, if you will) should take over. I am fond of K, we are of similar ages and although she is an avid smoker (I am not) and a bit more carefree than I am (meaning: she is a party girl who spends her weekends at the bar), we have quite a few things in common. We were in the midst of our most recent topic, the current election and our disgust for the endless supply of Hillary hatred (If you don't know what I'm talking about then I suggest you read this thoughtful article), when a customer interrupted our conversation.
"Unfortunately, someone has to win," he sneered and walked off as if he had just made the most brilliant statement ever.
I looked at him as he walked away. How could I not? He had interrupted my conversation. He looked to be in his early 20s, with shaggy, flowing hair, and K jumped in to describe him as a "hippie." Well, he was wearing Native American-looking boots with fringes that swayed as he moved and his patched clothing was snug on his frail body. Also, I got the impression he hadn't showered for days, or weeks even, so maybe one could describe him as a "hippie" if that is what the modern hippie has become (Has it? I don't know). What struck me, however, is first the rudeness. He interrupted my conversation, after all, and secondly: the attitude. If he had stayed around longer I would have replied, "Yes, because apathy is the solution to politics."
Or maybe I wouldn't have said anything at all. Often the angry, apathetic young man (or woman) is simply seeking attention and wants to create a response from others. In these cases it is best to ignore the behavior and give the person a few years to work out their issues or to figure out that there are better ways of interacting with others than going around and throwing out cynical statements to the world.
Perhaps what really bothers me about his statement is the fact apathy has become a common trend, or a religion in its own right. I imagine this young man views the political system with cynicism and disgust, or perhaps he is deeply angry that only two parties have political power in an election and if you don't find a party to represent your own views your voice is largely silenced in the process. Or, perhaps the young man hasn't given politics much thought at all but has better things to do, such as update his MySpace or meet with friends over drinks (and, perhaps such activities are more entertaining than listening to Obamarama or Ann Coulter whining about McCain). However, whatever his reasons may be, I can't understand how apathy is a worthy solution or how far apathy will get us. ("Us" being the larger society.)
When I put in my vote for the last Presidential election I was filled with hope. Oh, I had the thought, "My candidate might not win and in a few hours from now I'm going to have to listen to my friend Steve B. gloat about it," but I also knew that didn't matter. At least I was doing something powerful, something symbolic, I was putting forth my support in who I wanted to win. I suppose this has a lot to do with my tendency toward optimism and even optimism is dismissed these days as old-fashioned or naive but tell me this: What is the alternative? And where does that alternative lead you?
"Unfortunately, someone has to win," he sneered and walked off as if he had just made the most brilliant statement ever.
I looked at him as he walked away. How could I not? He had interrupted my conversation. He looked to be in his early 20s, with shaggy, flowing hair, and K jumped in to describe him as a "hippie." Well, he was wearing Native American-looking boots with fringes that swayed as he moved and his patched clothing was snug on his frail body. Also, I got the impression he hadn't showered for days, or weeks even, so maybe one could describe him as a "hippie" if that is what the modern hippie has become (Has it? I don't know). What struck me, however, is first the rudeness. He interrupted my conversation, after all, and secondly: the attitude. If he had stayed around longer I would have replied, "Yes, because apathy is the solution to politics."
Or maybe I wouldn't have said anything at all. Often the angry, apathetic young man (or woman) is simply seeking attention and wants to create a response from others. In these cases it is best to ignore the behavior and give the person a few years to work out their issues or to figure out that there are better ways of interacting with others than going around and throwing out cynical statements to the world.
Perhaps what really bothers me about his statement is the fact apathy has become a common trend, or a religion in its own right. I imagine this young man views the political system with cynicism and disgust, or perhaps he is deeply angry that only two parties have political power in an election and if you don't find a party to represent your own views your voice is largely silenced in the process. Or, perhaps the young man hasn't given politics much thought at all but has better things to do, such as update his MySpace or meet with friends over drinks (and, perhaps such activities are more entertaining than listening to Obamarama or Ann Coulter whining about McCain). However, whatever his reasons may be, I can't understand how apathy is a worthy solution or how far apathy will get us. ("Us" being the larger society.)
When I put in my vote for the last Presidential election I was filled with hope. Oh, I had the thought, "My candidate might not win and in a few hours from now I'm going to have to listen to my friend Steve B. gloat about it," but I also knew that didn't matter. At least I was doing something powerful, something symbolic, I was putting forth my support in who I wanted to win. I suppose this has a lot to do with my tendency toward optimism and even optimism is dismissed these days as old-fashioned or naive but tell me this: What is the alternative? And where does that alternative lead you?
