Can we cure apathy?





 Elections are coming up fast. Only nine days until May 9th - the first day of election week. However, the voting turnout last year was less then 10%.

Why is this? Do people just not care? Are 90% of the students at SU lazy? Or is the lack of interest in student politics a sign of apathy?

I recently watched a TED-talk* by Dave Meslin called ”The antidote to apathy”. This guy claims that apathy doesn’t exist. He claims that people do care. But that we live in a world that actively discourages engagement by constantly putting obstacles and barriers in our way. I think Dave’s right.

Good news is: we can change this.

It’s easy. As long as we believe that the people around us are selfish, stupid and lazy then we’re in trouble. But if we can realize that apathy is not some kind of internal syndrome but rather a complex web of barriers that reinforce disengagement, then we can identify those obstacles and work together to dismantle them. And that makes anything and everything possible.

An example: One of the many barriers that TIP has identified is intentional exclusion, information is just not accessible to everyone. It might be that something is not available in a language you understand or that it is simply hidden away somewhere on a chaotic webpage. (Seems familiar?) 
How can you get involved when you just can’t grasp the information or the possibility to do so?

We know what we think about this obstacle. That is why TIP is here to create a campus with equal opportunities to access information, events and services for both Swedish and international students. 

We also know what other barriers we see. But what is more important - we know what we want to do about them.

What do you think? Is the lack of interest in student politics a sign of apathy? Or is it in fact a sign of something completely different? 

/Louise Dane

*TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. TED passionately believes in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. (www.ted.com)