I Really Don’t Care, Do U?

Do Americans Care About Corruption?

What will it take to mobilize enough of the population to take action in America? More importantly, is it possible for all 330 million of us to ever agree? Do you care about the corruption in DC? First of all, to answer this question one must define “care”. Being aware of an issue and caring about the issue are not the same.

What does it mean to care about something? Is caring a passive feeling,  meaning you feel concern or anxiety about the issue, or does it require action? Simply feeling concern about an issue will do nothing to change the circumstances. If you truly care about an issue, you will take action, otherwise, you’re just complaining but you don’t really care.

Many A True Word Is Spoken In Jest

Melania Trump’s jacket said it best, “I really don’t care, do you?”. This is the truth of the matter. Americans don’t care about anything that isn’t affecting them personally. I single out Americans because I’m not familiar with other cultures enough to make a blanket statement about all mankind. For an American to truly care about an issue, it must affect them directly, just look at the people supporting the “We Vape, We Vote” campaign.

I’m not belittling the campaign or its efforts. I have little knowledge of the issue. However, at a political protest I attended recently during a Nationalist Trump rally, more people turned out for the vaping protest than they did to actually protest Trump and his racially charged nationalist agenda. The vaping issue was their primary, if not only, concern. Based on the fervor and enthusiastic protesting, a vaping ban would unquestionably cost Trump re-election.

We Vape, We Vote!

Why were so many Americans standing in the streets screaming and chanting, “We Vape, We Vote!” instead of protesting racial divides, inhumane treatment of immigrants, and environmental protection rollbacks? Because from their perspective a vaping ban would affect their daily life on a personal level.

This begets the question, what motivates you as an individual? What would it take for you to take action? How atrocious would the politicians in DC need to act before you’d mobilize? Would you stand up and emphatically speak out if Trump actually shot someone in cold blood on Fifth Avenue? He thinks you’d let him get away with it. The law states he cannot be prosecuted for it (while in office). How does that sit with you? Do you care?

Empathy-Free Society

Americans lack empathy, for various reasons such as upbringing, media desensitization, but the truth is most people simply can’t afford it. Americans live within their cozy bubble and read about the problems in society on their newsfeed, add a sad emoji then scroll on by. It’s all just headlines, this isn’t affecting me, is it?

All things considered, the government hasn’t taken your children from you. So, obviously family separation at the border isn’t a concern for you. Likewise, the government isn’t threatening you just as you’re trying to start a successful life after college. So, deportation isn’t your problem. So that’s not an issue for you either. Sure, Trump is a misogynist, but that’s just locker room talk, right? He’d never grab my daughter by the pussy. He’d probably treat her with respect and support legislation that promotes equality for women, right? Right?

Vote Him Out,

How Long Until You Stand On The Right Side Of History?