Fence sitting has become a lost art in America.
Everyday we’re being yelled at from a thousand different directions to think about a million different things. But it’s not enough anymore that we just consider the issues; we’re expected to choose a side as well. And the media, which are split down the middle on practically every facet of American life, seem to agree that you should have an opinion on everything.
But you can’t make someone care about something. Can you?
Perhaps it’s not completely accurate to say that fence sitting is extinct in America; there will always be those who don’t care about anything that doesn’t directly affect their lives. But the media has succeeded in creating an atmosphere where indifference has become stigmatized, and people are afraid to admit they don’t care. A more appropriate phrasing may be that fence sitting has been forced underground in America.
This is especially true in an academic setting. College students are at the zenith of susceptibility to taking up causes: old enough to be concerned, young enough to sustain the fight and educated enough to develop compelling arguments.
Thus, in an environment where one is expected not only to be up on current events, but to have an original take on them, those without an opinion may be tempted to take someone else’s rather than admit to having none.
Furthermore, in a college setting there is added pressure to act on your beliefs. How many times in the past year has a fellow college student urged you to take an active interest in politics? But even afer the calls to action, the voice fo the fence sitters is just as loud as any group’s.
See the evidence: this year the turnout for SA elections fell 50 percent from last year. And last year only 3,000 people voted.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being concerned with issues. But there’s no need to vilify those who don’t care.
Doesn’t the Constitution, which protects our right to speak our mind, also protect our right not to speak at all? Wouldn’t a government that forced everybody to speak up be just as oppressive as a government that forced everybody to be silent?
And politicians understand this fact. When President Bush touts Americans’ right to practice whatever religion they choose, he always throws in “or to practice no religion at all” near the end of his statement.
But fence sitting runs much deeper than just politics.
I was touched by Terry Schiavo’s situation, just as most of you probably were, but I never chose a position on the issue.
The same goes for the war in Iraq. With all the reasons and rhetoric flying back and forth it’s difficult to decipher how necessary America’s presence in Iraq truly is.
The truth about the war, as usual, is probably somewhere in the middle.
However, the war has managed to bring out the zealot in too many otherwise moderate individuals. Tolerance and respect for differing opinions seem to have fallen by the wayside as more people assume a do-or-die attitude about their own point of view.
So if you have an opinion, great. But if you don’t have one, please don’t fake one. There’s no shame in being undecided.