I was always interested in politics, but I felt I was unlikely to make a difference, so I was apathetic and ambivalent about actually voting or being political.
At a certain point, I realized this was the cool political approach. That anything but apathetic ambivalence was seen as actually sort of politically incorrect (ironically).
And then I started to feel like something was off. It seemed that political ambivalence and apathy were somehow being injected into the culture.
When I read this article by David Foster Wallace, the whole situation became crystal clear. Ambivalence and apathy are tools to maintain the status quo, and their “coolness” and political correctness are manufactured by those the status quo serves.
Since reading it the first time, it has become one of the bedrock foundations of my political ideology. I recommend it often, but given that it’s longer than many books, I don’t think many take the time. You’ve been warned, but also it’s worth it.
