I've gained an insight into the apathy that plagues the independents and the non-activist wings of the Democrat and Republican parties. Things have been going so well in my life that all the problems facing this country seem to have a "Does not apply" tag placed on them whenever I read a story. I have a job I love, and so does my husband. We got a great deal on our home - our mortgage is less than our rent has been at some places. I'm starting graduate school in a week, putting me on a fast track to a D or C level position in the not so distant future.
When things are going so well, it's hard to relate to the housing crisis, the unemployment, the fake debt crisis, etc. And yet, just a few years ago, I experienced transient homelessness (13 days), inadequate unemployment insurance (for six months), lack of health insurance, and a host of other issues that are affecting other Americans still today.
So here I am, living a damn good life at the moment. How quickly things change. How quickly we forget. I had a stupidly healthy dinner tonight with tilapia and basmati rice prepared with fresh fruits and vegetables. Four years ago, I survived off ramen noodles and hot dogs one summer when we were on food stamps.
Since I've been there, done that, the housing crisis, the unemployment rate, and all the other issues should be foremost on my mind. But I find myself struggling to care. My personal situation is fabulous! I can afford a gym and my health insurance copay has dropped to ten dollars so I can go to the doctor if I feel sick! I have a job I adore in an office doing work I can believe in (IT for medical offices). What affect will the US defaulting or having a credit downgrade have on me? Why do I care that Borders just went under - Barnes & Noble is the closer store anyway?
This is The Apathy. The Apathy plagues middle class Americans, who have some vague concept of the suffering of the poor in the US, but struggle to apply that suffering to their daily lives. We feel a sense of annoyance at the Washington gridlock, and can even summon an iota of minor outrage over particularly egregious issues globally, but the biggest effort we make to protesting them any more is clicking "Like" on a Facebook post.
It doesn't apply to me. I don't have any savings to get wiped out in the stock market (everything went into the house.) I am in no danger of losing my job (as far as I know) and even if I did, my husband would still make enough. He is in no danger of losing his job either (as far as we know) and he's contracted for another year either way. We're safe for the moment.... safe for a while, as far as we know.
And this is why the middle class is eroding. Because of The Apathy, we don't protest the policies that are affecting those below us until suddenly the bottom falls out. And because we were so apathetic about it we get floored when it happens. Or un-floored, to beat a metaphor to death.
How can I force myself to care? How can I avoid The Apathy? I still don't know. I'm not sure I can muster up the effort to try, since graduate school starts next week and there is still work tomorrow. But I have to try to care - because one accident, one mistake, or one unlucky break will push me right back out from the middle class I've scrabbled up to over the years, back to the bottom of the heap.
To avoid the Apathy, I must say daily, "That was me, and that could be me again."