I’ve been watching the exciting primary season unfold and gather momentum from my home in Austin, Texas with a detached curiosity. Texas usually does not get much attention due to the late date of it’s primary and due to the fact that it is usually recognized as a “blue state” but in recent weeks our state has been thrust to the forefront of the Obama/Clinton battle as the candidates, eager to proclaim victory in the delegate-rich state, have been campaigning tirelessly to reach us with their positions.
Why am I not more engaged? I was fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on your perspective) to be born in 1969—right in the middle of the period between the 1960’s and early 1980’s Douglas Coupland coined as “Generation-X.” For those of you not familiar with the group of people this generation represents, I’ll fill you in with a few details from Wikipedia: “Generation X was generally marked early on by its lack of optimism for the future, cynicism, skepticism, alienation and distrust in traditional values and institutions.” According to some, we Gen-X’ers are over-educated, underemployed, uninvolved in the political process, and generally have a dark side reflected in the grunge music of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and others that became popular in the late 80’s and 90’s.
I won’t take the time to agree or disagree on every point of the conventional wisdom of my generation but I will say this regarding my participation in the political process. Or should I say my lack of participation. I’m not completely politically apathetic. In fact I believe I’m better than the average citizen. I vote in national and local elections, pay taxes, read the newspaper every day, and recycle (!). I don’t attend city council or homeowner association meetings but my husband and I are raising our children to be critical thinkers about issues and to never use the word stupid to describe our political leaders. It is ok to use that word to describe policies as long as there are some facts given to rationalize that position but it is never ok to use to label a person.
