Despite an economy that’s spread the fear of unemployment deep into the thinning pockets of students nearing graduation, it’s an exciting time to be young.
Politics and young adults united in wake of the 2008 election with nearly 24 million votes tallied up by Americans between the ages of 18 and 29. This was the second largest turnout by young adults in U.S. history.
Change rattled the youth back into politics, but the young fire that fueled much of Sen. Obama’s campaign now seems trumped by a media more worried about balance than correctness. And we, along with the rest of the country — politicians included — are getting sucked in. As a result, we’re on the bench while bureaucracy is stabbing at the big ticket: health care. And oh, what an embarrassing debate it’s become.
On a broad and sweeping scale, a brutal and disingenuous political process has silenced logic and given unqualified clout to media catch phrases, those red-hot ones like “socialism” and “death panels.” You can just feel a town hall crack and hiss when somebody mumbles such senseless rhetoric. It’s to the point where Sarah Palin has found a boisterous national voice via press announcements of her status updates. Thanks for that one, Facebook.
But that’s just the reality of the technological, media-storming times of today. Our parents’ generation has caught up to Comcastic 24-hour news shows, dedicated to partisan bickering. And it’s working. We’re eating it all up along with our five-dollar footlongs
(toasted, of course).
Somehow, we’ve been twisted to fight for companies that profit from the sick. Health insurance companies don’t provide a service — rather, they only provide a great cost. Health insurance giants have run so far from ethics and compassion it seems unfair to categorize them with health care.
So why isn’t the president’s plan pushing these viruses out of the system? When he addressed Congress with his health care plan, he said he is going to keep what works and fix what’s broken. Health insurance is what’s broken and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon, or ever. As long as we have profit-driven health insurance, we’ll have a corrupt health care system with a bottom dollar backbone. Why aren’t we fighting this?
Youth in the collegiate environment have gained the power for progress in the past — 40 years ago Woodstock was one of many symbols of such a movement. Where is that movement here? Folks, this is our health we’re talking about. We are so afraid to embrace needed change that we cling to compromised reform.
The power for the change this country really needs is drowning in cloudy media muck. Controversy within politics has become more important to us than progress, and it’s sad. This very publication is used as a leveraging tool for young student politicians at this University much as the 24-hour networks are for the big wigs on Capitol Hill. It’s like the training camp for a Washington press conference, complete with rhetoric and all.
This summer I couldn’t help but pick up a copy of the ODE to read a headline that barked, “Friendism or no, president to appoint executioners.” Ah, the men wearing black masks, holding a noose.
Although, I admit, the massive mound of dirty politics surrounding former ASUO presidential candidate Michelle Haley’s attempt to remove current President Emma Kallaway from office was nearly worthy of the sexy executioner headline.
If you picked up the ODE this summer, you know all about this. You were, alongside me, suckling on the cheap headlines about bitter tactics best saved for reality TV. 
The ODE’s very own Robert D’Andrea concisely poked through the ASUO circus. “If there is anything Kallaway needs to learn beyond checking and sending e-mail,” he published in an early August opinion piece, “it’s how to feed the media beast before it
eats you.”
Of course, the ODE will continue to report the news as they see it. I guess that’s its purpose. And I suppose they are obligated to publish stories about said accusations of friendism, which I am still not sure is a real word. Is this balanced? Possibly. Is it correct? Not in my eyes. But it sure does make for good headlines.
Whether it be in the mass media or the student paper, politics seem to be more about drama than education and progress. We have to take the time to be truly informed. Then, the right thing will no longer be associated with the left or right. Morality, after all, is not above Republican nor Democratic principles.
If we, the youth, concentrate on ideals that are much simpler, like compassion, we simplify the debates. We can be the educated passion pushing for the change this country needs. It is, after all, an exciting time to be young.
Kevin Bronk is the editor-in-chief of Ethos Magazine.
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