Politics, duh .....

This is the second time I have written about the lack of political savvy among college students. Working as a substitute in the Communications Department at a local college, I have access to students along with a chance to gauge their interests through their writings. Recently I asked a writing group, who were studying cause and effect, to have a discussion of the Tea Party movement by utilizing a pre-writing discussion method. The assignment evoked puzzling looks. Blackberries and I-Pads were quickly put into use. Reacting to their obvious confusion regarding the assignment, I questioned them about their reason for concern and learned that only a few of them were aware of the Tea Party movement. Are our college students so busy in school or so distracted from politics or the news of the day that they don't know or care about their government? Do they only watch reality shows on TV and skip completely local and national news? The rumor is that there will be a dearth of young people and minorities who will vote in the November 2010 elections. Based on this response from the students in my class, the assumption that young people won't exercise their voting rights is probably true. Our country so needs an educated electorate in order to insure that our government will not be hijacked by fringe groups who specialize in extremism. I hope you have voted.