No Big Deal

My seniors are wrapping up their final research project. It's supposed to be about a controversial topic that they care about deeply. The perspective up the up and coming young adults who will be graduating in just a few short days is astounding.

Some students chose topics that are not terribly pressing or impacting on a large scale. There's the video game causes violence one, or the regulation of vaping products and minors that seem fairly mundane and in some aspects already settled. I even had one that was about whether Netflix original films/shows should be eligible for Oscars and Emmy's. That one was a bit refreshing actually. Totally new topic there.

A few surprises came up like whether street racing should be legalized. Ummm, no. Thankfully, this student reached the same conclusion. Another student wrote about cockfighting. No, really. I had never considered the idea that there could be a valid reason for cockfighting, but apparently there is. A small contingent of farmers and ranchers who are losing their family businesses are turning to cockfighting as a way to make money. The things you learn.

What I found deeply concerning though are the apathetic ones. One young lady wrote about abortion and defunding Planned Parenthood. In light of recent state laws being passed by largely male, white, and Christian representatives, I thought there might be some real thoughtful ideas even if they didn't agree with my own. Nope. Her conclusion was that people are making an unnecessarily big deal out of defunding PP. She decided after looking at the evidence that not using taxpayer money for PP would really be no big deal.

Another one that came across my desk was about the access to prescription medications and the pharmaceutical companies who set outrageous rates for them. I figured since a member of her family is a diabetic, that she'd likely conclude that Big Pharma sucks ass and needed some thrashing from agencies to ensure that people get the medication at reasonable costs so they don't die. Nope. She too concluded that the debate and argument over prescription drug costs was overblown and no big deal.

Yet another paper drew the same conclusion. This time it was about whether or not Trump should release his tax returns. Given the wealth of information out there on this topic and the back and forth about the Mueller Report and New York's lawsuit I knew that this paper would surely have some meat to it. Seniors are entering the larger world and will be eligible to vote in the next election after all. I had longed for some critical thought about the shady dealings and flagrant thumbing of nose at precedence and transparency, or at least what the opposition sees as the argument against. Alas! It all boiled down to the notion that his taxes are private and no one needs to see them because it was no big deal.

I was astonished by the apathy to be honest. As I read these conclusions about topics that I care deeply about and write to my representatives about I was dismayed by the lack of awareness for future implications. We adults are just fools with nothing better to do than make mountains out of molehills. I'd pause to try and remember what I saw as important and relevant when I was 18 and poised to start college in the fall. I know that I cast my vote for Bill Clinton largely because he was the Democratic candidate and the Dems represented what I saw as important social topics like public education and equal rights. I tried to recall the issues that took up headlines in the early 1990's and what my views were. Was I as indifferent as to call the Iraq War no big deal? I don't think I was. I hope I wasn't. 

The lukewarm opinions and dispassionate views just made me cringe. Moreover, they made me feel a bit more nervous about the direction of the country right now. With the numerous issues being bandied about that could destroy the very fabric of We the People, I feel trepidation and fear for the upcoming elections. The disinterest makes me worry that the country will continue down a path toward tyranny and oppression. If these aren't big deal issues for them, then what are?  But I suppose I'm just overreacting. After all, it's no big deal.