Why is it that young people don't care about about politics?

I was heavily into politics. Now I'm not, the world is exactly the same, and now I have the energy leftover to help people directly whenever I can. And you can too! Why waste your time arguing within a party system based on believing the opposite of the other guys. Has anyone ever seen ANY political opinion changed within a debate. Politics are like arguing with your girlfriend: it's starts as an attempt for change, evolves into trying to push your point and ends in just trying to 'win' the conflict, results be damned.

@Gamer_152 said:

While I think a lot of the points in this thread about disillusionment and the difficulty in changing things are important, I think there are a significant number of young people who do care about politics, and for those who don't I think it's often because they're often more concerned with their own lives than larger issues in the world and they just find it boring. Of course, those still aren't great excuses though. I think in some cases people also just feel confused and alienated by politics as a subject. Not a ton seems to be done in schools to welcome people to the subject and when it all seems so intimidating and unfathomable people are going to try even less to educate themselves.

There does seem to be a worrying prevailing view regarding a lot of politics in this thread though; namely that there are big problems that we can't fix or that there's no difference between political candidates so we shouldn't try to care. Firstly, I do think there are significant differences between the political parties. Yes, they all make promises they can't keep, and yes, there's no one you can vote into power who's just going to fix all the corruption and problems in the world overnight, but that doesn't mean things aren't going to run rather differently depending on who you vote for, especially out in the U.S. If you're a U.S. citizen and you're arguing that both the major parties are exactly the same then I just don't understand where you're coming from. Even if you're just voting for the lesser of two evils, that's a very important job to do, and while it depends on where you live, people probably died for your freedom to vote today.

Secondly, if there are big challenges to overcome then that's a reason to care all the more, not less. There have been times in human history where there have been problems that seemed impossible to overcome but people were able to do so because they put genuine effort in to solve those problems. Apathy solves nothing, and if you're sitting around shrugging your shoulders and going "Oh well, might as well not care" then you are part of the problem you're complaining about.

This is the best post in the thread and people should read this.

@dr_nefarious: It's not only important, it's their duty. This country can only work if people make the effort. Otherwise we are all screwed, top to bottom.

Young people across the globe have been affected by changing times. Over the past few decades, every generation has become less and less likely to read the newspaper (arguably the number one source of information on politics internationally), as well as watch broadcast cable news or 24/7 dedicated news channels. People above 60 are often the majority audience for these news outlets, and even they are diminishing in number. While it may change in the next few decades, Internet news sources are not as popular as you might think either. Because of this lack of political awareness in younger generations, said younger people have become much less likely to get involved with politics. Due to this apathy shown by the younger generations towards politics, politicians are forced to cater to the older, more politically involved members of their constituents, which in turn makes younger people feel alienated because they feel that their needs are not being addressed by politicians, and this ultimately makes them even more apathetic towards politics.

I myself am only 16 and i take a large interest in politics as well as other things that normally no one wants to have an opinion about or talk about. I really think it just comes down to maturity and wisdom. When you're younger all you care about is what is happening in your life because everything is constantly changing in that time period. Once people settle down they start to look at things around them and stop being so ignorant to their government and all other aspects of life.

I guess it depends on where you live. Looking at US politics from the outside it really seems like one hundred percent of the Republican side of things isn't about telling people why they should vote for the Republicans but instead telling them not to vote for Obama because he's an asshole. And the same goes for the democrats in most cases too. It's no wonder that people aren't interested because what is there to be interested in when you don't no jack about what a party would or wouldn't do if 99% of the media coverage just focus on worthless garbage.

I'm in Quebec and we have our own Elections next Tuesday and while there are plenty of attacks going between the different parties there's also a much bigger emphasis put on what each party is proposing. They're not constantly telling people who not to vote for but instead telling people why they should vote for them. Being positive goes a long way.

I don't like talking politics with people because it's pointless. Nobody has ever made a convincing argument for an opposing view and had somebody say, "Well, you know what? I agree with that. That's what I believe now." It doesn't fucking happen, because people get so entrenched in their own views, and they think anything the other side says is complete bullshit, so it's really kind of pointless to have political discussions. I think kids have figured that out, and that's why a lot of them want no part in it. And I really can't blame them. I mean, who really wants to get involved in a discussion that can only end poorly? Shit, talk about sports, plans for the weekend, and just about everything else in your life, no problem. Talk about politics, and people end up resenting each other. It's bullshit, and kids have figured that out.

Probably because they see no point.

I have lost all hope in democracy seeing as we still do not have direct democracy in the developed world even if we have every single possibility to do so. It doesn't matter anyway, politics and "democracy" are not helpful in any way to the individual at this point in time. I'm glad I at least have the illusion of being free and in charge, but I know I'm not - just see world changing policies like ACTA getting voted on without asking a single citizen in the EU what they thought about it. We had to lobby for christs sake, and it was a huge policy with immense repercussions for all human beings - and politicians never even stopped to ask. Fuck representative democracy.

By the way, I am very interested in politics and keep track of everything, but I simply do not believe in our system.

Politics are a bunch of tough issues that aren't fun to consider plus it seems to make people really irritated and made if you don't say the right things. Why would any kids enjoy that?

They don't think their vote matters. A kid in my school said he's not going to vote because "an election has never been decided by one vote". I'd venture to say there are thousands of teenagers who think just like him. They'd rather just be ignorant to the whole thing.

@WilliamRLBaker said:

@BananaHace said:

I don't understand how people can hate the status quo and then take a stand by doing nothing.

"Mr. President I hate you so much that I won't even VOTE. BALL'S IN YOUR COURT, O-BA-MA."

because if there is any thing to be learnt from the past 50 years+ is that voting means squat whomever has the money and whom ever the leading parties want in will get in.

there is rampant corruption throughout the entire voting process...

think about it does voting really work when we have representatives of the people that can hold closed session meetings where they can vote unopposed by any sector of the government or the people to give them selves pay raises? Senators and congressmen all do this.

the US democratic process has failed it was become corrupt the only thing that's going to clean it out anytime soon is pure revolt then it will just take another 50-100 years before its corrupt again.

I agree with everything you say, what makes it even more depressing is that's likely far worse than anyone thinks. Think about it, where's all the hardcore investigative and critical journalism once seen in the American media in the past, the people who exposed these scum-bags, where are all they now?. Obama more than any president before him has used an ancient act in your law to actively create a climate of fear among your media channels, the government have efficiently crippled your whistle-blowers. In addition, the way American government PR reps consort with he media and broker deals is very shady indeed.

We're too busy worrying about our hair and getting laid. Also what to wear to prom.

I pay attention, at least for a little while. The problem keeps coming up where I have no candidate I actually want to vote for. Libertarians (as much as the American libertarian is a malapropism) are usually the closest to what I'm looking for in a candidate, but they never do especially well.

In this US presidential election, I'm stuck picking between a man who I never trusted (and was right not to trust, I feel) and a man who flip-flops so often that I can't even possibly get a read on who he really is. Of course, Paul Ryan is pretty much going to define this election because Romney refuses to define himself, while Biden (I like to call him "Spud") is perfectly content to lay low and seem sane enough. I don't want to cast my vote with either candidate; if I do vote, it'll be to keep Paul Ryan out of political office, not to put Obama or Spud back in.

I'm in an out-of-state college, so local and state elections are a tricky issue. Yes, I'm going to be a part of the Madison community for three or four more years (barring a transfer) and that's nice, but after I leave, the repercussions still apply to the citizenry. I'm only back home for about three or four months out of the year, and I'm not necessarily planning to return home when I'm done with school. I'd rather let the people who actually represent the community represent themselves in this case. When I settle down, it'll be easier to truly follow more localized politics, which I can have strong feelings about.

@dr_nefarious said:

Isn't it important to have an interest in politics? Politicians are given power. Therefor that power should be monitored. If the young people (18-30) don't care about politics in order to be informed about how the government wants to run their lives; then this country is ultimately screwed. Not like it already isn't..

18-30 year olds are very much involved in politics. At least as much as older citizens. I don't get where you've come up with this assumption.

@lord_python said:

@ThatIndianGuy7116: Politics doesn't have to be following the hot air that comes out of politician's mouths, you can get into supporting people who do, or just getting your voice heard. Democracy only works if people care!

I mean, don't get me wrong, I do care. I just wish I could motivate myself to care more and I don't like some of the arguing that goes on. Then again, arguments can happen from pretty much any topic so I guess I could just avoid it

As a younger person I will say it's very easy to be disillusioned. Older people are in power and there is little chance in changing that and these older people are often out of touch with my sensibilities and issues of importance. Knowledge of the political system makes my ability to act seem inconsequential and futile, in regards to how votes are counted and in the importance of lobbyists in modern government.

It's easy to not give a fuck.

Because the young punks of today don't care about much.

Because rationally there is absolutely no gain from being concerned with politics. Elections are never decided by a single vote, so it's actually better to not waste any time even considering who to vote for.

@Nasos100 said:

@dr_nefarious: because there are only 2 parties who have the exact same political ideology ( capitalism , market economy ) and behave exactly the same?

Im gonna say its probably that

Give me one major US politican except Ron Paul and Gary Johnson who's even close to being for a capitalist system.

I think you're age range is a little wide. Most people I know over 21-ish have at least some interest and are decently informed in what's going on. Not saying that everyone is a hardcore and devours political news, but most people I'm around have opinions on politics and do follow them a bit.

@FierceDeity said:

Because rationally there is absolutely no gain from being concerned with politics. Elections are never decided by a single vote, so it's actually better to not waste any time even considering who to vote for.

What rationality is there in that? It isn't like there are only 3 people voting.

Because younger people have other things to pay attention to

@A_Talking_Donkey said:

@FierceDeity said:

Because rationally there is absolutely no gain from being concerned with politics. Elections are never decided by a single vote, so it's actually better to not waste any time even considering who to vote for.

What rationality is there in that? It isn't like there are only 3 people voting.

Humans have a finite amount of time to live. Therefore, concerning oneself with politics costs us the most valuable resource we have - time. Of course, if you were to actually get involved in politics as a candidate, the equation changes. But simply voting is completely pointless. You gain nothing tangible (as, again, your vote doesn't actually matter), only some sort of intangible feeling of fulfilling a civic duty. Which is nonsense, of course, because not voting is also a completely viable decision.

Look at the general atmosphere surrounding politics for two seconds. Why should I care?

I'm interested in making things better and having some sort of a cool and positive impact on the world. I am therefore interested in the private sector and all the awesome things they can do if they choose to do it.

If Im going to see a play I rather watch theater than politics , at least plays are well put together and the characters are engaging , and I can improve my life. Policitcs is just the science of bullshit and the biggest bullshitter is the winner. You ever thought that democracy was ever real? Naive you duder. Also I cant change the policies so why bother? Also I hardly feel any form of tie to the politicians (or the country I live on) so even if they were all killed or die or whatever I wouldnt care whatsoever , also this country´s politicians are in legue with the Narcos (druglords) so aprroving of them means approving of all the shit and corruption of this country ... so FUCK that. In case you wonder I live in Mexico.

@FierceDeity said:

@A_Talking_Donkey said:

@FierceDeity said:

Because rationally there is absolutely no gain from being concerned with politics. Elections are never decided by a single vote, so it's actually better to not waste any time even considering who to vote for.

What rationality is there in that? It isn't like there are only 3 people voting.

Humans have a finite amount of time to live. Therefore, concerning oneself with politics costs us the most valuable resource we have - time. Of course, if you were to actually get involved in politics as a candidate, the equation changes. But simply voting is completely pointless. You gain nothing tangible (as, again, your vote doesn't actually matter), only some sort of intangible feeling of fulfilling a civic duty. Which is nonsense, of course, because not voting is also a completely viable decision.

The thing is if everyone had this attitude and nobody voted then election would be decided by 1 vote so you'd need to adjust your attitude except if everyone did in which case you'd be back to the first scenario. Individual people caring about the outcome of any given election do matter. Individual votes are what determine the final vote count. I get that some elections aren't even close which can be a bit dissuading, but I've never personally felt that my vote didn't matter because of it. Since time is a limited resource I'd rather spend time doing something that matters...like voting on things that effect everyone.

I think a lot of it has to do with the polarization of the parties involved for me, at least in the U.S. I get so frustrated when opposing parties feel like they have to negate every positive action that the other comes up with just to maintain the integrity of the party. I, on the other hand, fall somewhere in the middle of the pack as an undecided. I like some ideas from each side, but hate others. As such, it really boils down to picking the lesser evil, and I really don't like doing that. Things are pretty fragile right now, and I don't think either side has their priorities in order, so my vote will be extremely strained this coming election. Extremism is so unnatractive to me at this point of my life that politics can be very disenchanting and easy to lose heart in.

@A_Talking_Donkey: How do you even know that the elections aren't rigged.

Just about every politician is greedy and conniving. But to answer your question, younger people are more concerned with enjoying their young lives. I'm sure you were like that at one point, and I'm sure many of them will grow out of it.

@imsh_pl said:

@A_Talking_Donkey: How do you even know that the elections aren't rigged.

There is no reason to assume they are. Between the two major parties there is some level of representation of each in the house and the senate, and the president seems to change political party frequently enough to show that it doesn't favor one party. The same is true on the local level. If anything is rigged it isn't the vote, it's the policy making process - and since votes aren't rigged and anyone can run for office if you truly did believe that policies are rigged your best bet is to vote for the most outside politician who's views line up with yours.

@A_Talking_Donkey said:

@imsh_pl said:

@A_Talking_Donkey: How do you even know that the elections aren't rigged.

There is no reason to assume they are.

Reasons for lobbying/bribing officials by corporations:

-control of the regulation making process and the assurance that new regulations will eliminate the competition

-control of subsidies

-assurance of multimillion dollar contracts with the government

-assurance of positive outcomes in courts

Reasons for officials to be bribed/receive corporate checks:

-a gargantuan amount of money at the time of the bribe

-a guarantee of staying in office and receiving additional money

-no consequences - the government makes the rules so they can make the bribery legal

And now

Reasons for officials/politicians/judges to reject bribery:

-they promised not to do that (lol)

I'm sorry I don't live in the same fantasyland you do.

@A_Talking_Donkey said:

Between the two major parties there is some level of representation of each in the house and the senate, and the president seems to change political party frequently enough to show that it doesn't favor one party. .

You do realize that at this moment the two opposing president candidates - Romney and Obama - share the exact same five sponsors?

Because, as far as politics go, there is so much bullshit to shift through, most people just don't have the patience to make heads or tails of what is what.

At least that's how I feel about things.

Bribing and lobbying happen during campaign and post-election and actually don't effect the vote directly. I've already addressed that and acknowledge that lobbyists have too much power (in America).

@imsh_pl said:

@A_Talking_Donkey said:

@imsh_pl said:

@A_Talking_Donkey: How do you even know that the elections aren't rigged.

There is no reason to assume they are.

Reasons for lobbying/bribing officials by corporations:

-control of the regulation making process and the assurance that new regulations will eliminate the competition

-control of subsidies

-assurance of multimillion dollar contracts with the government

-assurance of positive outcomes in courts

Reasons for officials to be bribed/receive corporate checks:

-a gargantuan amount of money at the time of the bribe

-a guarantee of staying in office and receiving additional money

-no consequences - the government makes the rules so they can make the bribery legal

And now

Reasons for officials/politicians/judges to reject bribery:

-they promised not to do that (lol)

I'm sorry I don't live in the same fantasyland you do.

What a non sequitor. He was talking about election rigging, and suddenly you go off about bribery? Everybody agrees that lobbyists/corporations/special interests have undue influence. But there's a world of difference between that and declaring that elections are being rigged. The latter requires some type of, you know, proof.

Also, saying "I'm sorry I don't live in the same fantasyland you do" is childish as hell. Do you also call people "sheeples" in comments on youtube videos?

@FierceDeity: I never said that the elections are rigged. If I did, quote me.

And my argument is very similar when it comes to rigging elections and bribing officials. The majority of the reasons why the people who count votes/announce the voting results would want to be bribed is the same as the reasons why the lawmakers would want to be bribed: money and other personal gain. And the reason why they wouldn't is also the same: because they promised not to do so.

And again, I'm sorry if I don't consider people who have so much to gain by accepting a bribe to be as honorable as he seems to do.

EDIT: You said that claiming the elections are rigged would require proof. And I agree. However, saying that they are not also requires proof. And, for obvious reasons, the proof cannot be government statistics (they are the ones whose legitimacy is being questioned, after all).

Since none of us can really know one way or the other, we can only guess. I submit that my guess was reasonable, since it's a logical observation to see that those who count votes/release vote info have much to gain for falsyfying information. And now: if you were to say that the elections are not rigged, what would be your argument?

I learned early on that how you vote on the smaller stuff (town, county, etc) will have much more of an impact than the big elections

Any political system, party or larger, where a man of Ron Paul's education and intelligence is laughed at and patted on the head as if he is a fool will have a hard time keeping me believing in it and thus giving a shit.

I am a libertarian, yes, and I'd lean Republican, but when a Republican president makes the government bigger than it ever has been I can't understand what party lines even mean any more. Republican seems to mean "religious conservative" more than anything else.

I don't give a shit because I'm a man without a party, as far as upper level politics goes.

People are satisfied with being stupid and never thinking about hard things. Pretty much every question of "Why is this negative thing in society the way it is", can be answered by coming back to shitty education. I am the exact opposite of those people, therefore, those people generally piss me off.

I would care, but it's been made abundantly clear that neither my voice nor my vote count in the grand scheme of things. Politicians are only interested in maintaining the status quo, not in doing what's just and righteous. When America's military budget vastly outweighs its NASA/space exploration budget by an order of magnitude, you know it's all fucked. If the money that was spent on death and destruction was spent on trying to fix the issues that threaten humanity's future, there probably wouldn't be any more issues to fix by now. Sure, that's just an assumption, but one that I feel is pretty close to the truth of the matter.

But the thing is, we're in a position now where our votes are counted in such a ridiculous way that it pretty much invalidates the entire process of voting itself. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that it's no accident that it works that way. If things were to change, I would vote, but I can't see that they're going to any time soon.

So fuck it, let the Politicians play their silly games, but I don't feel I should be expected to care or join in until I'm given sufficient reason to. There is no truth or beauty to be found in Politics, just lies and deceit, and that means it ain't for me.

The Electoral College as far as the smart ones are concerned.

Caring about politics used to be assigned to me. That was high school, and it was really easy to attach importance to these issues when a grade depended on how much I knew about them and how well I could debate. I, to an extent, enjoyed keeping track of things and discussing subjects with my fellow students in class. Now I'm in college. Nothing related to politics affects my grades any more. I'm not going to spend my time and energy researching things to vote on. A single vote will be extremely insignificant and will not turn the tide of any election. I'm going to spend my time and energy working to prepare myself for gainful employment. If I ever have something remotely resembling the free time I had in high school again, I'll probably put some of that time into reading up on politics. Until then, I'm going to do something that has a tangible effect.

As for other people my age who I see around me, there's a wide spread of how much people care. There's a few people who put time into being educated voters, plenty of people just waiting for a chance to get in a huff about their pet social issue, plenty of people who care to a moderate extent, and plenty of people like me who are cynical, and not particularly proud of it.

Its not that I don't care, its just sometimes hearing both sides make my head hurt. The average person, might just think no matter what I will be getting fucked.

Caring about politics is a good way to make yourself clinically depressed.

I care about politics in general because I like to know everything that I can know, however I try my hardest to not get involved. Our system as a country (US) and even a planet is tremendously flawed so why bother?

I can't vote, none of the politicians are worth rooting for, the system can't be repaired, etc.

As a 17 year old, I definitely care about politics in my country, but in the end it's all a lost cause. Therefore, why bother?

The world is in a really shitty place and the internet makes it so young people have alternative news sources to tell them this. They could go out and protest in the streets or they could apathetically sit by and watch the country fuck itself even further, most preferring the former because protests, petitions, and votes do fuck all for anything.

Every single political conversation I have, article I read, or report I watch is steeped in bullshit and half-truths. Or at least I am starting to assume this to be true, because believing one article is true over another surely leads to me becoming a fucking madman like everyone else who thinks their 'side' is right and the other side is either stupid or trying to sabotage them or some shit.

How am I supposed to find any political ground without turning into a nutter?

It's probably because young people think voting for a president, which is the only thing we can do in a so-called "democracy", isn't going to change a thing. And the fact that our vote carries no weight garners anger towards one's government, so young people don't even bother.

I live in DC Metro and almost all young people care about politics here, as far as I know. I don't blame anybody who doesn't care, though. There is no representation. Not exactly. You have to be an organized group with money to be represented, something young people are not.

Young people, in my experience, know exactly what's going on and often know more than their parents. The actual question is why they don't do anything. I promise you they care. The answer is hopelessness and a lack of investment in the current political system. There's little that can be done by young people. Media is controlled by a shrinking number of conglomerates, political debates are negotiated between the two parties. You have to buy into the same incestuous system to be able to do anything in that system. That's why most people think only two people run for president every four years. The other candidates can and do get shut out of debates, coverage, etc. I don't want to rant, so very long story short, there are gatekeepers deciding who gets to matter.