Mock the Vote

Articles

Matthew Bastian

Mock the Vote
Nov 12, 2003

I’m a big R.E.M. fan – have been for years. Granted, they’ve lost a step or two since Bill Berry left the band back in 1997, but perhaps no group in our time has had produced such a solid and influential body of work during its first ten years (no offense to U2 fans). If there was one band that provided the soundtrack for my formative, angst-ridden years, the boys from Athens, Georgia were it. They could simply do no wrong - well, until “Up” proved me wrong - and I hinged on their every word. So when frontman Michael Stipe began wearing his political heart on his sleeve, I bought in: whether his message was “Save the Rain Forest” or “Handgun Control Now,” I was right there with him, furiously taking mental notes.

Looking back, I was an idiot.

Not for merely taking up the same causes, mind you (that’s for another column), but because I only did it as a fan of the band. I was basing my political leanings off of a rock star who, although talented, is still just that: a rock star. I’m still not sure what I was thinking, but I’m much better now.

I mention that embarrassing anecdote because I’m reminded of it every time I see something about Rock the Vote, that self-described non-partisan organization that seeks to get the Generation Y crowd involved in our democratic process. On paper, this is a noble cause: only around 37% of those aged 18-24 bothered to hit the polls the last time around. Encouraging young folks to participate in our democratic process is a good thing, right? Not so fast.

Consider the presidential debates that RTV has been known to sponsor: the same ones the elicit critical, thought-provoking questions like “which is it: boxers or briefs?” RTV held another one last week for the Democratic candidates, whose awkward attempt to connect with the “Total Request Live” crowd was just painful to watch. (Fifty and sixty-somethings in shirtsleeves and outfits from the Gap, probably purchased by some young aide that afternoon, just do not come across naturally.)

The question that got the loudest response came in via email: “which of you is prepared to admit to having used marijuana in the past?” For the candidates who had the chutzpah to say “yes,” the crowd hooted in approval. Dennis Kucinich, the curiously frumpy candidate from Ohio, said that he hadn’t sampled the herb, but that he would decriminalize it. Based on the crowd reaction, you’d have thought you were watching a taping of “Saved by the Bell” and that Zach had just kissed Kelly.

These spectacles aside, the other problem with RTV is that they are anything but non-partisan. You see, RTV isn’t just getting out the vote: they are also defining the issues for those whose attention span has been stunted by too much Playstation. According to RTV’s website, young voters should care about the following: free expression, violence (including hate crimes), the environment, education, and the economy. Some of these are understandable as being important to young people, but there is a conspicuous absence of topics like “The Collapse of the Family Structure,” “The Welfare State,” “Taxes,” or “The War on Terror.”

It gets better. As references for additional reading (should an intrepid young visitor to rockthevote.com have the fortitude to actually investigate an issue themselves), we have a real grab bag of left-wing party favors: the AFL-CIO, ACLU, Greenpeace, The Sierra Club, People for the American Way, National Education Association, and, my favorite, the UC Berkeley Labor Center Program for Young Workers. (I have no idea what the last one does, but it’s got to be trouble.)

Non-partisan? Riiggghht. The above reads like a guest list at one of Alec Baldwin’s cocktail parties. I guess the Christian Coalition, NRA, and American Center for Law and Justice are not partisan enough for this “non-partisan” list. (Go figure.)

Which brings me full circle to my own story. Quite frankly, I was too lazy and uninformed to vote back then. Similarly, if today’s young adults need to be force-fed the issues and led to the voting trough by foreign policy luminaries like the Dixie Chicks and Eddie Vedder, perhaps they shouldn’t be voting. Participating in our democratic process should be portrayed as a serious responsibility that demands some level of thought. Instead, RTV teaches kids that voting too has Cliff’s Notes.

As for R.E.M, “Sitting Still” will always be a killer live. However, should we ever meet, I don’t reckon we would have much to talk about over coffee.

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About Matthew Bastian: Recovering socialst, part-time drummer, long-suffering Brewers fan, and all-around beach hound, Mr. Bastian lives in central New Jersey. Email Matthew Bastian: mbastian19@hotmail.com

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