Couch Potato Conglomerate

This is the essay that was published in Challenge the Experts. It's a variation from my usual form of formal writing, and I only had two hours to work on it. The topic is: Many experts believe that voter turnout continues to decline because people have lost faith in their political leaders. Do you agree or disagree? and Why?

Couch Potato Conglomerate

By: Annie Li

Theodore Roosevelt once coined the phrase “A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.” Neither the target nor the rifle has changed, so the fault is ultimately bequeathed to the user. The 1960s marked the gradual decline of voter turnout, and statistics reveal that the waning is predominantly determined by young voters. In a decade that saw mankind extend its fingers to touch the moon, it is necessary to recognize the debut of the tributaries of technology. Media propelled the debutantes of society onto a world stage and assumed the directorial position to advertise the indulgent behaviour that keeps voters grounded at home. This time, it is not a struggle against the red flags of foreign powers or their axes of evil to preserve democracy.

Instead, it is a fight against the couch potato conglomerates. Modern political leaders continue to trudge solidly along the steps hollowed out by the dedicated individuals who first intoned democracy. It is the masses that constantly writhe in fevered inconsistency, easily influenced by remote obligations and heedless of the ramifications of their conduct. The youths of today are confined within the materialistic ventures of Ipods and MP4s, spending 25 hours of their 24 hour day tapping away at computers. The immature citizenry tolerate extravagant lifestyles that far surpass society’s romantic view of civic duty. Every action is first evaluated against the effort and energy consumed as opposed to the consequences. In this case, though the leaders have not lost their appeal, it is simply too much of a hassle to vote.

Indifference and apathy are also major contributors to a declining voter turnout. Throughout the history of democracy, the value of one vote is often regarded as insignificant when placed adjacent to the whole. Though this fact will never change, when it is coupled with the belief of a ballooning population, it is much too discouraging. It is not the loss of faith that stimulates a conscientious voter to maintain sufficient distance from a ballot. There is no lack of remarkable political leaders, nor is there a lack of political passion. In this day and age, the enormous time commitment essential to understanding the party platforms and the candidates themselves is too expensive for many to consider while maintaining a fast-paced lifestyle.

The overexposure of the electoral campaigns to the public years before the actual election is another disincentive. On the other hand, while smear campaigns and attack advertisements aimed to reduce candidate credibility does trigger a loss of faith in the government, it in turn encourages the public to take action. To uphold the standards of democracy, it is necessary to utilize a more dramatic approach to resolve the conflict. Perhaps Australia’s compulsory voting system should be adopted - a breath of fresh air to poke fun at the idle clouds.

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Some parts are quite awkward when I read it now - but I suppose it's because I never had the chance to let it sit and then go back to it. I wrote it in one setting without doing a proper rough copy and hardcopy edits. The last sentence is a specific example. I was actually trying to link the image of clouds with the image of potatoes (which then links to couch potatoes) in the readers' minds, but I don't think it was as effective as it could have been.
 
However, I do believe the essay discusses several issues regarding the decline in voter turnout, none of which is caused by the lack of faith in political leaders. If you didn't believe in the person who was representing you, wouldn't you do something to change that state of disatisfaction? You'd want to be more involved, as opposed to staying away. In addition, I don't believe that our current political leaders are necessarily less capable of fulfilling their duties than previous leaders. In the end, everything really depends on public image.