The Biggest Problem – Apathy
The biggest problem facing democracy in America is apathy: the apathy of people who don’t even want to talk to other people about what our problems are. I encounter this apathy when I canvass for Congressional candidates, something I’ve done a few times over the last month on behalf of a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Maryland’s District 6. On one particularly sad morning, as I rang the doorbells of houses in Germantown, Maryland, I encountered more than one person, cracking their doors open about an inch, who said “I’m not interested” without even waiting to find out what I wanted to talk to them about. How can these people not be interested in who represents them in Congress? Do they have no interest in the laws that will affect their lives, from tax laws, immigration laws, reproductive freedom laws, or the appointment of qualified judges to lifetime positions? Do they have no interest in democracy, which requires citizens to speak to each other about the issues of the day?
I sense apathy increasing. Perhaps this is due to the pessimistic strain in my makeup. Perhaps it’s my imagination. But, if it we don’t reverse the course, the end of democracy is much nearer than most people are willing to admit.
Can we do anything to fix the problem? Let’s talk about it.