Yes, You Can Still Care About Politics Now

It’s now been twenty-four hours since the networks called – some begrudgingly – the presidential election. As the fervor begins to die down, the partisan t-shirts will retire to the back of our drawers. Some may peel off losing bumper-stickers, but nevertheless, America has batch of politicians — some old, some new — ready to take the helm.

I’ll admit I’m somewhat of a politics junkie (I write for WUPR, after all), and for all the bickering, advertising, and borderline brawling that’s taken place over the last two years, part of me is sad to see it go.  There is a void in my life that just days ago was filled with polling data, punditry, and enthusiasm at the possibility of change.  One of the biggest indictments of the Wash U student body is political apathy.  Largely a community of privilege, we too often accept the status quo, and forget about the issues happening along the margins, ones that will certainly affect us once we move beyond the bubble.

I watched the election results in the DUC last night, and it was electric.  We were told that this night would be a singular moment in our college experiences — in our lives — and it was.  Behind the tweeting, free dessert, and general comradery, there was genuine excitement about the possibilities to come.  We cared about the outcomes and what they meant for women, for Hindus, for the disabled, for the LGBT community, everyone who sought to define their own freedoms.

My voice is still hoarse from last night, and I’m beginning to worry that by the time it returns, so too will our collective apathy.  At the end of a long campaign, I fear politics and civic engagement will fail to capture our attention as thoroughly as it has in these past weeks.  While I know that the spirit of election night cannot last forever, it is my hope that even a fraction of the engagement we’ve had these last months will live on.

We shouldn’t only care about these issues once they’re in danger of being placed in the wrong hands.  LGBT rights should not only be a topic of discussion when they are a measure on a ballot.  States’ rights should not only be a topic of discussion when marijuana use is up for referendum.  We should question obscene, misogynistic discourse (and backwards theories on rape) at all times — not just when it comes from the mouth of a candidate.

In the coming days, I will continue to bask in the lingering moments of the campaign.  I will keep checking in on Nate Silver’s blog, debating whether or not he is a wizard (he is). I’ll keep reading the Times’ politics section daily and perhaps breath a sigh of relief that the Obama camp has stopped flooding my inbox.

What I won’t stop doing, however, is caring about the issues.  For the last two years, we’ve coded women’s heath, LGBT rights, the economy, foreign policy, immigration reform, the environment and so much more as merely cogs in the campaign machine, but now that we’ve chosen the leaders to tackle these problems, it’s more important than ever that we remain cognizant of their ongoing status.

So, my final call to you Wash U: keep engaged.  We have a responsibility as young, educated people to stay informed, regardless of how soon the next election is.  Maybe I’m idealistic or naive to expect people to stay tuned in, but I’ll keep hoping precisely because the atmosphere in the DUC last night was so incredible.  There is no feeling like being in a room full of people who truly care about the outcome of our nation.

But the thing is, it’s not a feeling reserved to election night.  It exists in civilized debates, blogs, the nightly news, and around the dinner table.  Don’t wait four years to experience it again. The feeling is addicting, and you can experience it every day, if you’re just willing to look.