Politics is like an English class when you stop learning grammar rules and start learning about why the curtains are blue, boring, and mostly annoying. And yet, it is a necessary evil that teaches you a very important skill called media literacy. Unsurprisingly, the generation that believes that the curtains are blue just because “it’s a nice colour” also carries that same apathetic attitude towards politics. But are they wrong to do so? Because sometimes, the curtains are just blue.
Voting does not change things. Yes, our ancestors fought and died for us to have democratic rights and fought for our voices to have meaning. Yes, they fought for and have since exercised the right they earned, but it does not change things. Democratic voting came with the end of apartheid and allows us to decide which political party governs and decides the fate of this nation. However, that does not change things. It does not mean anything. So, since it does nothing, there is no reason to vote, no reason to care about politics. Right?
It is true – voting is useless. You put on your shoes and head to the voting station, hoping that whoever you vote for will be elected and will fix our problems. Although there are never any new problems, just a new form of the old problems: poverty, unemployment, gender-based violence, corruption, racism, and what else? Surely you can think of others. Is there a big, glaringly obvious one being left out? Maybe glaring is the wrong word to use because there is usually a lack of glare and light? Is that even an issue anymore, or has it finally been solved? But what about the others? Have they changed? Are we still facing unemployment? Gender-based violence? Are women safer in this country? Are we less corrupt?
Honestly, we cannot vote for these politicians because none of them cares about us. They are all selfish, greedy, and uncaring. Of course, this means that we should passively lie on our backs like caught prey, turn away, and do nothing as they gorge themselves on our ready-to-eat bellies. It achieves the same as voting, does it not? Those who suffer are still suffering. So, let us give up our voices because our screams are being ignored.
Then again, why should I, the individual, care? She does not care, and he does not care, and they said they do not care about politics, so why should I? The individual does not hold power. They cannot move the world. My vote, my voice, does not matter. How should you argue against that truth? The “I” is simply not powerful enough. The individual does not shift the tide; they drown beneath its pull. Of course, the mob holds power. The collective scream of many shatters the silence of passivity. If I care, and she cares, and he cares, then maybe we could shift the tide, but we do not, so we will not.
So, it seems the answer to the political question is not to care. And maybe the reason for our political dismissal is apathy, or maybe it is a collective feeling of hopeless disappointment. We let our voices die because we feel like no one is listening. We think to ourselves that we are alone and we cannot bring change as an individual. We look at the world around us and feel defeated by all the wrong we see. Although one person may not be capable of changing the world, all of us together can.
An article from Democracy In Africa titled “Will young South Africans voice their frustrations at the polls?” states that the South African youth, ages 18–34, make up 1/3 of the country’s population. That same article also says that although we are more educated than our elders, we face worse unemployment rates. We have been severely let down by our government. Perhaps, it is not that we do not care, but that we feel uncared for. The reason why we do not vote is not because we are politically apathetic. It is because we think that it will not change anything.
However, that is not true. A research article by the Electoral Commission of South Africa titled “Enhancing Youth Participation” asserts that when democracies face threats to their freedom, voter turnout plummets. And with South Africa’s youth making up a large number of the country’s population, our voices and votes do matter. We decide not only the fate of our country, but also our democracy. Perhaps the answer is for all of us to care about politics. Alone, we may not be able to change much, but together, we can create a better South Africa. We can shift the tide, not as individuals, but as a nation.
