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Political Shifts
"I’ve grown fed up with the backstabbing and hypocrisy from all politicians, regardless of party."
By Nico Savidge
March 18, 2007
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Youth Radio's Nico Savidge explains how his love for political debating has changed after disastrous events like Hurricane Katrina showed him the backstabbing and hypocrisy of modern politics.
Even though the presidential election is a year and a half away, despite my
best efforts, I can’t avoid the election buzz.
I come from a political family. My parents grew up in the Kennedy and Nixon
era, and organized marches and boycotts during that time, a commitment that
rubbed off on me. In middle school, I scoured anti-war websites looking for
any protest I could find, and waited in around-the-block lines to see
Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11.
But in the past couple years; I’ve grown fed up with the backstabbing and
hypocrisy from all politicians, regardless of party. This disenchantment
began with the politics of my hometown.
Berkeley is famous for its political tolerance. But if you have an opinion
that comes even slightly from the right, you're instantly labeled a
flag-waving, gun toting, ignorant Republican. And so, Berkeleyans have
become as politically intolerant as the people they rebel against.
But the last straw—the thing that made me give up on politics--wasn’t
something close to home. It was Hurricane Katrina. I saw Republicans and
Democrats refusing to claim responsibility and patting each other on the
back for a job well done, all while people along the Gulf Coast were
suffering and left for dead. I was disgusted, and I needed a break from the
world of senate debates and C-Span.
Now a year and a half later, I’m finding myself drawn back into that world.
2008’s presidential hopefuls are using podcasts and online social networks
to get out the youth vote. Whereas Kennedy used the original tube in 1960 to
showcase his charisma, today’s politicians use the YouTube to speak directly
to voters.
Even with these attempts to engage young people, I’m still looking for the
great political figure of this generation – a person to inspire the people
like Kennedy did for my parents in the 60’s. While it’s nice to see today’s
candidates reaching out to young people, it’s one thing to treat YouTube
like every other campaign medium and make empty promises. It’s another to
take the youth vote seriously and deliver.
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