Question for historians: how did America become so apathetic ?

[steve2470]

IIRC, back in the 1880's people regularly went to rallies and public speaking events. I was surprised to read this, because I had thought Americans were always massively apathetic. Thanks for your time.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Does what went on today all over the country look like apathy?

Sure doesn't look like it to me.

[steve2470]

3. No, only referring to the usual status nt

[HopeHoops]

2. "Ya want me tah supersize that for ya?"

[Ozymanithrax]

4. Consumerism and rampant exteme individualism...

Began in the 30's and was fully functioning by the mid 70's.

[Davis_X_Machina]

5. The workers had their mouths stuffed with gold.

Those people who went to rallies 130 years ago spent 75%-80% of their incomes on food and shelter.

Their lives were far more precarious. Those with little to lose have little to stop them.

[RKP5637]

6. IMO too many good years after WWII, little competition, egotism and highly successful brainwashing

of the masses from Reagan on. ... but I'm not a historian.

[toddaa]

7. I blame heavy metal

I know it ruined me.

[Larkspur]

8. Television is America's version of the Roman circus

Americans spend more time watching American Idol than the news and the American Idol format is how low info voters think about politics.


Also, when the Democratic Party under Bill Clinton passed the free trade acts, they signaled to America that the Democrats were pro-corporate, just like the Republicans, but what worked for Bill Clinton doesn't work for ordinary working Americans, who were the backbone of the Democratic Party. Since many of those Americans lost their jobs to Mexico than Indonesian than to China, they fell back on their religion. Many of them were practicing Catholics or conservative Protestants. Those religions are socially conservative and those who were once the backbone of the Democratic Party became the right wing extremists or Teabaggers of today.

[RKP5637]

10. +1, n/t

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. Lots of reasons.

Suburbanisation, the rise of mass entertainment media, rising living standards, the decline of social cohesion and fracturing of any real sense of community...all of these things lead to apathy and disconnection.

[RKP5637]

13. +1, n/t

[cpamomfromtexas]

11. If people are underpaid and broke they spend more time worrying about food on the table

[steve2470]

12. very true nt

[RandomKoolzip]

14. I blame the Breakfast Club (The movie).

Anthony Michael Hall plays a nerd who (snort) VOTES. He even has a fake ID so he can vote - what a LOSER!

I swear that turned off an entire generation to the political process. Maybe I'm being facetious, but maybe not.

[The_Commonist]

15. Television.

It scrambles people's brains.

[Gabi Hayes]

23. huh?

[Drale]

16. There was no TV or Radio

so if you wanted to hear peoples opinions you went to rallies.

[Brigid]

17. We take too much for granted.

I have become quite taken lately with the little-known but impportant story of the battle of Blair Mountain. Today, people have no idea what previous generations went through to get us where we are today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair_Mountain

Now we have to start the fight almost from scratch.

Call me a cock-eyed optimit, but I think people are waking up. And I think it may not be too late.

[Curmudgeoness]

18. There was not much else to do for diversion during that time.

These rallies were something different to do in a very routine life. It was like the circus coming to town, everyone showed up to see what was going on and to get together with friends and just socialize. Today, there are so many things we can do to entertain ourselves. We do not have quite as much routine in our lives.

If you will remember, the whole town would also turn out for a hanging.

[somone]

19. Many don't care, and the rest gave up

[BanzaiBonnie]

20. Television

and it is more easily controlled by those who own the media.

That's why it's Paris Hilton, Charlie Sheen, Lindsey Lohan... all celebrity news all the time. It's like adding sugar to your food: non-nutricious filler.
Pretty soon, that's all you crave.

[Taitertots]

21. Everything is too good

Americans are stuffed fat and bathed in the ignorance of corporate television. Too many people have it too good and they are unwilling to risk giving up anything. "Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose".

[melm00se]

22. its called contempt

when something 1st happens, people are in awe of it but given time they become contemptuous of it.

using an example: (physical) speed.

when devices allowed man to travel at speed, people were very careful of it (for example a train could only travel at 5mph preceded by a man with a red flag) so accidents rarely happened. fast forward to today: we routinely travel 10 times that speed...in urban areas...and accidents are far more common...we have contempt for speed..we have contempt for civic virtue.