Political Apathy In September 2024
Nothing feels the same as it did in September 2020
First, I want to take a second to apologize because I haven’t been as active on Instagram in the last month that I was over the summer. For reasons which will get to a little bit later in this letter I’ve just had a hard time bringing myself to talk about the new cycle in the last month or so ever since we exited the DNC speech by Kamala Harris.
Right now, the optimism that was surrounding the 2020 election has completely faded, and what were left with is a version of politics that feels completely hollow and devoid of anything hopeful going into the future.
Before we get any of that, I do want to take a moment to talk about something that is positive, or at least positive to me. I wanna tell you about the latest things that we have on our YouTube channel. Not that every subject that we cover on there is in fact positive, but I am thoroughly enjoying getting back to creating a news show after taking eight months away from it this year. It is the reason I started Independent Thought in the first place, and I’m hoping that one day it’ll turn into something special.
In the first video, we discussed the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump and all the details you need to know about the event.
In the second video, we discussed Jill Stein winning her court, case to remain on the ballot in the state of Georgia while also discussing other attempts by lawyers of the Democratic Party, trying to remove her from swing state ballots around the country.
In the third video, we discussed reports that the nation of Germany was considering no longer sending new weapons to the nation of Israel.
In the fourth and final video, we discussed the UN demanding that Israel withdraw from all Palestinian land by an overwhelming majority vote. The details of this particular story are definitely worth the watch.
Political Apathy In September 2024
Looking back on the 2020 election, everything just feels so much different now in comparison to where we were four years ago.
At that time, the political energy was off the charts. I remember going through my Instagram feed, and seeing basically everyone in my life sharing something about the news. From the most staunch political observers to the most non-political people I knew, everyone was sharing something related to the election or politically related in general. It was the most politically activated moment I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Everyone felt like they had a stake in the 2020 election.
Whether the energy was directed at simply defeating Donald Trump or thoughts of what possibly could be, from the promises made by the Biden campaign. People were going into that election with genuine hope and optimism unless, even though there was a sense of overwhelming doom if Trump won the White House again. Nevertheless everyone seemed incredibly focused on the task of making sure that they made an impact in the 2020 election.
People were talking about the issues that were affecting society. The role of the police and public safety following all of the protests of 2020. Talking about the needs for universal programs and an increased social safety net. People were very aware of American shortcomings and the systemic impacts that had effected so many marginalized groups. It was a really great time to be politically involved, as everyone felt like they were able to, and wanted to contribute to the conversation and someway.
And after Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump. It felt like the momentum would continue to roll, as Joe Biden unveiled a huge plan called “Build Back Better”. A plan that should’ve fundamentally changed many aspects our country.
Through either miscalculation or intentional derailment, the promise of the 2020 Biden campaign, turned into a Biden administration that seems completely incompetent or worse, completely manipulative. The last four years have completely drained the enthusiasm out of what was and otherwise incredibly activated base of voters…and I’m also one of those people.
Time and time again I was looking for some resemblance of what I could look to and point out as being hope - for what might be a better future. However, the only thing that I have found is a return to in 2012. Where the overwhelming feeling is - nothing will fundamentally change.
That is now even more apparent through what I’ve seen from Kamala Harris. Through her many public appearances, interviews, and speeches she’s given since she left the DNC stage at the end of August. If I’m being honest right now, her campaign and her platform are actually less optimistic than Joe Biden‘s were.
The Democrats are in a place right now, where they no longer really feel it’s necessary to overly inspire their voter base with plans for the future. Has Kamala Harris laid out some plans - sure, but nothing transformative that will address the many needs of this country. A few plans are given here and there, which they hope will suffice to appease those looking for policy positions. However, the main currency of this campaign is the fear of the alternative.
Democrats are hoping that fear will be enough to provide them with wins in November, and unfortunately, I believe it is going to be enough…because there is a deep political apathy right now in September 2024.
It’s this political apathy that I believe has not just overcome me, but overcome millions of people. People who are no longer hopeful about what could be, but have simply been reduced to - defeating Donald Trump and nothing else matters.
I worry about where that leaves us at the end of the day. The Republican party will always be what it is right now. Until proven otherwise, and as long as Democrats can continue to just point that out, we’re stuck in this never ending loop. A loop where improving the lives of the people becomes an afterthought, and unfortunately, it seems that the many seem to be completely okay with that.
I want to be clear, I think the fear of the Republican party is justified, but that fear shouldn’t paralyze us into accepting the status quo. Due to this fear, so many refuse to demand anything whatsoever from the Democratic Party, other than to save them from the Republican Party.
This never-ending cycle will lead us to the exact same place that we are right now. Wondering why we can’t have better, while being so afraid of things getting worse, that people are afraid to demand more from the people we’re planning to vote for. If demands are never made, these politicians will never feel any incentive to deliver. If they know we’ll always vote for them anyway, they’ll never go out of their way to transform this system.
While there is no doubt in my mind the Republican Party causes more harm to the country, the Democratic Party still also causes harm to the country. We have two parties that both cause harm. One causing more than the other, but neither one is really healing the problems that we have.
I feel like a lot of people are also coming to understand that as well. Which is why there’s so many people who are still voting, but are doing so in a way that feels dejected, uninspired and wondering just what exactly comes next… And that’s not even factoring people’s anger towards our policies surrounding Gaza and Lebanon.
To bring this to a more personal place, I have been struggling to do basic content creation. When I started Independent Thought back in January 2020 I was very hopeful for what may come next. At the time it seemed as though Bernie Sanders was on his way to be becoming the nominee for the Democratic Party. I was very hopeful for what that might mean for America. Throughout the last four years of this Biden administration, and doing Independent Thought, I have tried to stay focused on what comes next. How can we turn our society in a positive direction that will benefit people at large.
I’ve had the enthusiasm sucked out of my core over the last four years. I’ve watched the Biden administration basically do nothing as Republican legislatures across this country completely eroded civil rights, endanger the lives of marginalized people & increase the presence of fascism in America.
It wasn’t until Joe Biden actually dropped out and back in July, that I began to have a little bit of hope again. I was skeptical of Kamala Harris at first, but was willing to give her a chance. I was inspired by her selection of Tim Walz, after seeing his record in Minnesota, but was still skeptical of what her administration would bring.
However, since the selection of Tim Walz, everything I’ve been seeing from Kamala Harris feels like a pivot to the right. In a lot of ways, her campaign seems to be even to the right of Joe Biden’s. That’s not to say again that her administration isn’t worth voting for in comparison to Donald Trump’s, but I have absolutely no hope whatsoever that Kamala Harris’ administration will be any better for the country than Joe Biden’s administration was…and where does that leave us?
We are stuck on an infinite loop right now of the Democrats consistently having this higher ground of being able to say — that they are better than the Republicans, so you have to vote for us.
This dynamic shows no signs of changing. It will be the same in 2028. It’ll be the same in 2032. It will be the same in 2036. The real question is, are we really gonna wake up one day to be 50 and 60 years old and we’re playing out the same scenario that we’re in today?
It’s these thoughts that have led to my particular political apathy here in September 2024.
It’s been taking over my mind quite a bit recently. It’s led to me wanting to post less on Instagram. It’s been harping down my mind when I think about creating content in general on any platform. It’s what kept me off of Substack for the last week. This election feels like an election of fear with no hope in sight. I feel like that is the current political climate we find ourselves in, and there doesn’t seem to be a forecast of anything different on the horizon.
We need something to vote for, not just something we’re voting against.
Right now, I don’t see a vision from Kamala Harris that inspires any kind of hope. Rather the vision solely revolved around defeating Donald Trump.
That’s not good enough.
Even if Donald Trump is defeated in November and Kamala Harris becomes the president, this country still faces a lot of problems. Just defeating the Republican party is not good enough. We have a lot of people suffering in this country. Again, that’s not even to mention how Democratic policies right now are contributing to, and enabling, a genocide in Gaza and now an assault on the country of Lebanon.
The status quo cannot be maintained. In the future, we’re all gonna have to think about what needs to be done in order to change this dynamic. A dynamic that has us in a stranglehold. If we keep replaying the same cycle again and again and again, we’re all gonna wake up in our retirement years wondering what the hell just happened, and why does everything look exactly the same…or possibly even worse
Where we go from here is the theme that I will be consistently thinking about going forward. In no way shape or form am I comfortable with the current climate of our politics. We deserve better than this current version of America. As Independent Thought is constantly changing and evolving, that’s my next mission. Trying to figure out how we get from where we’re at now, into a more sustainable future that actually provides hope and not just constantly reacting to fear.
A future that is free from the political apathy of September 2024
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