COLUMN: Why Should We Care?

From Charles Ornstein's "Paving the Way," Fall '95 From Charles Ornstein's "Paving the Way," Fall '95Last week was a banner week for news. President Clinton urged Congress to send 20,000 American troops to preserve the peace in Bosnia. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich announced that he would not seek the presidency in 1996. Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide said he would leave office peacefully when elections are held in February. But to the general public, including nearly every student on our campus, these events meant nothing. They were examples of stories that would come and go, leaving little impact on their lives. We've all heard the excuses: "I'm buried under schoolwork," "This stuff is boring and foreign to me," "I hate the DP, and why should I read the Inquirer?" I have always been one to recognize an individual's prerogative to read what he wants, but it is very hard for me to watch the world changing before my eyes while so many people choose to distance themselves from what's going on. In the short-term, this attitude will have little impact on our day-to-day lives and on the conduct of our government. However, with time, we will see the far-reaching consequences of our pluralistic ignorance. One result that we have already seen is that government leaders and policy makers ignore our feelings about national and world issues because we do not participate in the process. The exact opposite is true for senior citizens. When the House of Representatives and the Senate debated Medicare cuts last month, a paramount concern in each congressman's mind was how his decision would affect public opinion among elderly voters. And this is no coincidence. Because senior citizens historically have the largest turnout among eligible voters, politicians are extremely concerned about how their decisions will affect this core group. The same cannot be said for our generation. Whether discussing Bosnia or issues in the 1996 election, we should not expect that our interests will be taken into account. Our lack of participation in the process has turned a government "for the people" into a policy-making branch for the enlightened minority. But even beyond the fact that our voice is not taken into consideration in the present debate, we should be worried about our readiness to lead the nation and shape that debate in the upcoming years. Too often leaders make decisions without being aware of what has been done in the past. And if we continue in our path of self-righteousness, we will follow that lead. It is easy for us now to ignore the issues and discussions taking place in Washington and beyond because they are not impacting our lives. It's our parents' tax dollars. It's our grandparents' Medicare and Social Security. It's our neighbor's son in the Armed Forces. But what happens after college, when we are the nation's tax base? What happens 50 years from now when we are retired and need government assistance? What happens when our sons and daughters decide to volunteer for the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines? Effective leaders understand the issues as they come up and have a historical basis for comparison when they are called upon to make decisions in the future. We shouldn't have to enter the world naive and unaware of the mistakes that leaders are making now. Our ignorance is hurting our chances to succeed in the future. It is also affecting the way our generation is perceived by others. To authors and journalists, we are known simply as "Generation X" or the "Me Generation" -- a group that cares more about material possessions than the world around it. Adults often discount our viewpoints, saying, "What does he know anyway?" or "She's just a member of that Generation X." It is only through our actions that we can prove them wrong. By arming ourselves with intellectual ammunition, we will be able to prove ourselves worthy participants in any discussion. This topic did not seem important at all until I watched with horror last month the reaction to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination. Across that country, as residents mourned the loss of their leader, hundreds if not thousands of people said that they wished they would have done more, they wished they would have made their voices heard. After the assassination, they said that they remained silent because they felt others were better equipped to represent the cause. But now, these people admit that regardless of how eloquent each individual is, a voice is a voice and a show of support is a show of support. In America, our generation has yet to be confronted with a situation similar to what happened recently in Israel. However, we must be conscious of the potential for such an event to take place. Following national and international events is not like studying for a course. Political science, biology, economics and history may help you in the short-term or in your career, but knowledge of the world affects the way we lead our lives. Our grandparents' lives were changed by the Great Depression and World War II. The Vietnam War and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. left a permanent impact on our parents. When are we going to realize that by not reacting to the events occurring around us, we are powerless to the impact they can have on our lives?