A Commentary on the Midterm Elections

Britney Spears vs. Elections 

Leigh Ann Vanscoy/ Copy Editor

November 7, 2006, was an exciting, epic day in the United States. Britney Spears filed for divorce from spouse Kevin Federline. Oh, and it was Election Day. 

Photo of MCT Campus Britney Spears and her husband Kevin Federline at the 2004 Billboard Music Awards.

IMs, text messages and voicemails began circulating Tuesday afternoon. Everyone was buzzing about Britney finally ditching K-Fed.    

My girlfriends were concerned about her two young children, “I’m sad that they have to be put through all this,” Ande told me, while waiting in line for our sandwiches at the Acorn. My guy friends were more excited about Britney’s new figure. Tom sent me a link to watch Spears popping in on Letterman, with her new figure and short bob hair cut.

I walked into my 9:25 a.m. Tuesday morning to find four girls crowded around a desk, where one girl had the Life section of the USA Today. One girl read the article aloud, while the others tried to piece together why Britney finally “smartened up.” With the news section absentmindedly thrown to the side, the girls analyzed the pictures, timeline and article pertaining to Britney. As more classmates entered the room the TMZ.com Web site was pulled up on a side computer to view a video of Kevin’s discussion of their failing marriage. A girl came into the room reading the New York Time’s blurb about the couple’s split. By the time the professor walked in, Britney Spears had exploded all over the classroom.

 Why don’t college kids have this same curiosity about the midterm election news, which, by the way, also took place yesterday?

 “I feel like I don’t know enough to vote,” Sarah said. “I have a lot of things on my plate in college, but I know I will care after college.”

 Most college students don’t seem to care about politics because they fail to find a practical connection. They believe that the outcome of the election doesn’t affect them, which of course it does.

 Students would rather take an hour for Grey’s Anatomy and waste (I feel like a traitor using that word) their free time facebooking friends because these two things will help them survive the college social scene. Nobody stikes up conversation in Lighthouse with somebody from the opposite sex saying, “How do you feel about absentee ballots?” However, meeting a guy and discussing Britney Spears' comeback seems acceptable and he will hopefully buy you a drink.

 Students don’t care, or realize, the importance of this vote. The election touches every one of us. The result of this election changes the leadership in Congress. Democrats have taken the House of Representatives and gained a Senate majority. This election season was action-packed. Those who check people.com frequently, looking for updates on their favorite pop idols, should check out CNN and other news stations which have been updating the close race. The articles are just as juicy and entertaining.  

 Darwin D. Hendel and Roger D. Harrold published an article in the College Student Journal in December 2004, that surveyed 261 college students in introductory media courses and revealed correlations between newspaper readership and other activities with a media-related focus. They commented that "students may well regard reading newspapers as ‘work.’”

 Keeping up with your politics and the future of your country is now considered work.

 Britney’s marriage and speedy weight loss may be more exciting to college students than the fact that Montana and Virginia were two major components as to whether Democrats would win the Senate. But, the second has to do with their futures.

 Instead of Rosie O’Donnell and the View gals throwing a party on their show (yes, including confetti) for Britney’s comeback, let’s see them throwing a party for first time voters. And yes, the view’s biggest story today was the Britney/Kevin drama. We need to create a message that knowing the news is “cool.” Rosie O’Donnell told viewers she was “over the moon excited” for Britney. Why couldn’t she be “over the moon excited” for the political race?

 We should investigate new tactics to get the younger generation interested and participating in politics.  High schools, colleges, all forms of media and social groups ought to put more importance on politics and current affairs.

  Federal minimum wage, the Iraq War, the amount of financial aid for students are important issues to college students that are affected by the vote. Participation in government must become a new emphasis from our schools and media. Young people should be presented the issues and carefully study them.  Would it be too much to ask to have an episode of Grey’s Anatomy or The OC connected to the importance of the electoral process?

 There are many proposals to increase voter turnout. Among them, internet voting, instant registration, national holiday and mandatory voting laws. There is even a suggestion of  a million dollar lottery prize award. Of course these are ways to get the students to vote, but our goal for better democracy is to have people who carefully studied the issues.

 It is the future of our country, not tomorrow’s top 10 hits that students need to be aware of.   We want more students to understand the rhetoric of elections like they understand K-Fed now Fed-exed.  

I wonder what my guys friends would think if I took down their Britney Spears poster and put up Nancy Pelosi or Hillary Clinton.