a lot of important factors of life? I sense a lot of the “nothing I can do will help” attitude showing up in the lifestyles of so many in my generation. I believe that the majority of Generation Xers feel this need to be believed in. When we don’t receive the “kudos” that we feel we deserve than we have a tendency to follow exactly what is expected of us. In short, if no one believes in Generation X, then the 20-somethings would rather not participate or be a part of whatever it is that makes them feel inadequate. I am forced to wonder whether all Generation X needs is a true cause that effects them directly to force them out of political apathy into political activism. Where many of Gen Xers look to causes such as the environment or student rights to excite them politically, I think that if there was a situation that would effect all social groups of Generation X then we would see a higher level of political interest. It’s hard to persuade people who have channel surfed all their lives that politics really does matter. Generation X is the first in the age of television to grow up with narrowcasting rather than broadcasting. “When CBS, NBC, and ABC dominated the airwaves, their blanket coverage of presidential debates sometimes left little else to watch on TV. But as channels have proliferated, it has become much easier to avoid exposure to politics altogether. Whereas President Richard Nixon got an average rating of 50 for his televised addresses to the nation, President Clinton averaged only about 30 in his first term. Political conventions, which once received more TV coverage than the Summer Olympics, have been relegated to an hour per night and draw abysmal ratings. In sum, young people today have never known a time when most citizens paid attention to major political events. As a result, most of them have yet to get into the habit of voting.” (The Atlantic Monthly; October 1998)S...
