OK, see, I thought this thread was going to be about BIG political issues as opposed to, say, people’s passion for Buffy or a good Cabernet.
So I was all prepared to come in with the big guns about Major Issues about which I’m juuuuuuuuust now starting to give a flying hoot, like:
[ul] a) Politics. Sure, I found local politics remotely interesting, because our City Council is a freak show (complete with childish pranks and antics that could rival a 13-year-old on his best day). But I didn’t really follow national politics, which means ditto for issues like
b) The Environment. I suppose I cared in a remote way, like “Damn shame about all of those dead seagulls”, but only recently have I cared to the extent of going to more expense/inconvenience, like eschewing fabric softener and dryer sheets, buying (more expensive) environmentally friendly household items, or making my own floor cleaner out of vinegar and vegetable oil instead of dropping a bottle of Pine Sol into my cart on my next trip to the store. This goes the same for
c) Labor Practices. While one of my best friends was picketing in front of her local GAP store, I was furtively buying GAP items online, and hiding my J.Crew catalogs when she came to my house (usually loaded down with clothes she’d bought for me at the Salvation Army in an attempt to get me to stop shopping at the blacklisted stores). The shit was cute, looked good on me, and I could get it delivered right to my door. Now it may just be a handy coincidence that I can’t really afford to clothes shop anymore, but I can pawn it off as protest… [/ul]
…or stuff about which I don’t yet give a hoot, for example:
[ul]d) Although my job entails staffing a volunteer council that advocates for the needs and rights of local senior citizens (and even though my beloved mother is a senior, and I myself will likely be one someday), I don’t really give a hoot about most of the stuff they talk about at the meetings. I talk a good game, but when it comes right down to it, I consider it my job to offer technical and administrative assistance to these people, not to join them in lobbying against budget cuts during the Legislative session.[/ul]
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not like the guy who thinks seniors should be killed off Soylent Green-style or exiled to a remote island. So far, however, charity in this arena is still “at home” for me. In other words, if MY mother goes into a nursing home and doesn’t get adequate care, hell yeah I’m gonna be up in arms. But right now I just don’t feel any passion about senior issues as a whole. Perhaps that’s because I associate them with WORK…?
