"Vote or Die"

I'm sure many people recall the great push for young people to be more involved in the electoral process of the 2004 presidential campaign. Slogans such as “Vote or Die” splashed across MTV and promoted by artists such as `P. Diddy' among other celebrities aimed at getting the new generation of voters to the polls. While the campaigns generated much buzz a lot of their efforts fell upon deaf ears and the voter turnout was less than expected. Thus a Republican was re-elected into office and many of the former issues, which plagued our nation continued to do so.

This time around things seem to be taking a significantly different turn. The caucuses in Iowa produced record-highs in voter turnout and New Hampshire is projected to do the same. While perhaps not nearly as trendy as it was in 2004, citizens particularly young people are becoming more involved and I think its because we are as ready as ever for change and are realizing that we can actually make a difference. The media-hype couldn't force us to care and it was somewhat condescending that they attempted to do so; rather the candidates are really starting to appeal to the younger generation with the promise of change and talk of hope for the future.

Al Gore and other celebrities were successful in making caring about the environment the “cool” and trendy thing to do because individuals really felt like their actions could make a difference. While it's terribly disheartening to think that celebrities and trends are so influential in persuading young minds to care it's about time that they become involved in the push for change. The young generation today has been a huge embarrassment for society when compared to the college students of the 1960s and 1970s who were so active on the political scene. The time is now, and if the polls are any indication we are starting to rise to the challenge.