The Privilege of Not Caring

Apathy and indifference are plaguing a certain set of people when it comes to politics and social issues. This group isn’t any specific generation or gender, the only common characteristic is having the privilege to not care.

If you don’t care who’s Prime Minister, don’t affiliate with any specific parties, and don’t care about political issues, you’re Apolitical, and chances are you’re not reading this article, because why try and educate yourself when you truly don’t give a fuck. Apoliticism isn’t the result of disenfranchisement, it’s different to abstention and dealignment, it’s not a protest or a complete disgust of a political system, it springs from a lack of NEED to care.

These people don’t need to vote to end police brutality, provide more funding for the NHS, end the climate crisis, scrap clause 28, or to change the tax system in LITERALLY ANY WAY. Because they either directly benefit from things staying exactly as they are, or they have never been negatively impacted by any of these things, because they’re white, straight, middle to upper class and blissfully ignorant to the wars being fought every day all around them.

It has become uncool to care among these people, to be passionate about everything that shapes our lives and it will be the silent killer that distorts the political spectrum of this country.

They would never post anything political on Facebook in case someone who’ s opinion they valued saw and disagreed, they’d switch the channel the minute BBC news mentioned the House of Commons, they refuse to talk about elections for fear of ‘getting too political’ and they would never ever go to a protest, watch a debate or research parties before a vote.

These people are who we should fear. They don’t care about your struggle. They won’t help. They won’t vote with you in mind. But they are seen as harmless because rather than argue back they just refuse to engage in the conversation point-blank. They’re impossible to educate and will go their whole lives believing not having a view makes them congenial and agreeable. We should hate these people, be jealous of the privilege they have and the power they hold. These people caused Brexit because they didn’t properly understand the consequences, these people voted in Donald Trump “mainly as a joke” (watch the Vice video ‘Conservatives and Progressives Debate Feminism (Extended Version)‘ at 12minutes 55) and these people think Boris Johnson is ‘a bit of a funny character’. They play with our lives when they disregard the consequences of what they do and these are the people we should be focussing our energy on. Chances are the people who see your climate change reposts on your story ALREADY KNOW about our fight, of course, continue to post, there is ALWAYS more to learn, but more importantly, focus on those people in your life you never have these conversations with. Force them to confront their privilege to not care. GET THEM TO CARE. speak to them in their language, force them to engage, force them to talk about it. It’s uncomfortable for them, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try. CHANGE is uncomfortable. We need these people on our side to win everything we are fighting for. These people are among our family, friends, coworkers and classmates, and we owe it to ourselves and each other to educate and make them listen and see and speak.

Cath Rolls