Essay Disillusionment With the American Political System

The last forty years in America have seen tremendous changes technologically and culturally. Life has become increasingly easier as machines designed to improve living standards proliferated. Communications and travel capabilities have advanced dramatically, with long distance phone calls a thing of the past. Computers and smart phones have made an infinite amount of information readily available to students who can now conduct their research from anywhere. Socially the changes have been just as tremendous, though perhaps not always for the better. Divorce rates have skyrocketed. Children frequently massacre one another on school grounds. The income inequality gap has steadily risen. Overall, Americans are feeling less connected to†¦show more content†¦If this does happen, if social apathy is any way mended as a result of online communications forums, it is most likely that it will have a direct effect on political apathy as well. As political participation is dependent on the social connectedness of its citizens, one cannot change without affecting the other. Political Participation Model Political participation is a highly-varied and complex issue. While voter turnout may be the easiest form of it to quantify, the whole of political participation is not summed up by who votes and who does not. An individual may not choose to vote, but instead choose to contribute either their time or money to a campaign, or contact their elected official, or attend a demonstration, or volunteer on a community action committee, or participate in the activities of an interest group, etc. Even with all of the different forms of political participation, there is a good model for predicting which individuals will be the most politically active. While participants need to have one or all of the following - time (i.e. voting, volunteering), money (i.e. contributing to campaigns or interest groups), or skills (i.e. working on a community action committee)1 - predicting who will participate can be even more specific. Certain characteristics of both individuals and social groups help to determine the likelihood of high rates of political involvement. Individually, those belonging to the top tiers ofShow MoreRelatedPolitics, Political, And Political Politics853 Words   |  4 PagesIn today’s society people often argue that there is a massive distrust in the government and the actions that occur within the political sphere. In the United States specifically, nearly two-thirds of the American population believe their government is in decline (Keane). This decline is seen through the widening gap of the rich and poor, extreme xenophobia of politicians, and young citizens left jobless due to unemployment figures on the rise (Keane). Thus, it is easy to see that people feel theyRead MorePolitics, Political, And Political Politics857 Words   |  4 PagesIn today’s society, people often argue that there is a massive distrust in the government and the actions that occur in relation to politics. In the United States, specifically, nearly two-thirds of the American population believe their government is in decline (Keane). This decline is seen through the widening gap of the rich and poor, extreme xenophobia of politicians, and young citizens left jobless due to unemployment figures on the rise (Keane). Thus, it is easy to see that people feel theyRead MoreAmerican Foreign Policy After The Great Depression1390 Words   |  6 Pages Between 1920 and 1941 the paradigm of American foreign policy completely shifted from the Isolationism to Interventionism for valid reasons. First the economic and socially challenging home front crisis of the Great Depression kept American citizens and politicians busy with domestic policy. 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