On Apathy

intense disinterest at old nassau

Staying on the subject of awareness today I would like to talk about student activism at Princeton. This year I’ve had the dubious pleasure of spending 11 weekends at other campuses around the region. Let’s just say I’ve seen things. Horrible…things (see Tim Nunan’s excellent Nassau Weekly piece for more info). Needless to say, after almost every trip I am always ecstatic to return to my beloved Princeton. Yet although the other campuses I’ve visited sometimes leave much to be desired (either aesthetically, academically, or in terms of honoring the Geneva Convention), almost all do have one tremendous advantage over Princeton, namely a thriving student activist community. Hardly a trip goes by without my seeing the trappings of a politically connected student community at work. Protests, rallies, lectures and postering all seem to be done with a zeal I have rarely seen at Old Nassau. Obviously, none of this is scientific ( I left my zeal-meter at home). Yet that said, I feel that our campus has a serious lack of student participation, and that this merits serious consideration.

Of course, I am far from the first one to notice this sort of thing. Whether among more politically minded friends or in the context of more formal group meetings Princeton’s “enthusiasm deficit” is a palpable force. Furthermore, there are many dedicated and energetic individuals who have fought this non-participatory tide with creative and interesting ideas. On the whole, however, such students are merely exceptions that prove the rule.

What has brought us to this place? Why does Princeton have the worst intellect/activism ratio in modern academia? A few thoughts. First, culturally Princeton has always skewed more conservative. As Shirley Tilghman often remarks, we have too few kids with “green hair” on campus. Taking “green hair” as a proxy for non-conformist, it is obvious that the president’s words ring true. Although Princeton does have many distinct groups all seem bounded within a relatively narrow mainstream of thought, meaning there is less chance for the tensions that cause people to get out and make a difference. A second possibility could be the dynamics of the school year. Because Princeton teaches classes in 12 week semesters (the shortest time of any accredited institution in the US), the typical workload here is, to use a scientific term, ridonkulus. As such, the opportunity cost of protesting or canvassing for a candidate is far higher here than elsewhere. One favorite cause of cumodgony administrators everywhere is what I’ll call The Street theory of causation. In this view the fact that as our social life revolves around listening to “Don’t Stop Believing” 12 or 13 times a night students have less time for more intellectual pursuits. Such a theory hinges on a past era in which alcohol was provided liberally in other, more cerebral settings (more on that later). Perhaps the most convincing explanation, however, can be found in David Brook’s infamous Organization Kid article in which he profiles Princeton. Brook’s notes that due to the tremendous opportunities available after graduation, students often are designed “ not to buck the system, but to ride it to the top”. Why change a society that is going to hand you a 200,000 dollar I-banking job a year after you graduate? As a result, our apathy may ultimately stem from the fact that the view from here is looking pretty good.

While I doubt I’ve hit all the causes of apathy, I think I’ve shown the big ones. These are fundamental factors. Although groups may change their poster designs or vary their activities, the fact is activism faces a real uphill climb on this campus.


egads! a real life princeton activist.

Yet before you despair that your club/group/organization will never make a difference, take heart. I think that although mass protests will never break out down Alexander Street, there is a lot about Princeton that could potentially benefit activism at the individual level. The first is cold, hard cash. As Princeton has nearly 2 million dollars in endowment per undergraduate there are resources here for anyone motivated or creative enough to do incredible things. Closely related to that is reputation. Because our University is so widely respected we can play “ the card” to bring in speakers and gain audiences with people who may have otherwise ignored us. Finally, there is the internet. With the rise of youtube, facebook and decentralized communications it seems as though there may finally be a tool to get through the cloud of apathy and snap people out of their fog. Mini-feed assaults anyone? In sum, then, my advice to would be activists is to stop bemoaning a lack of student interest and consider the ways in which Princeton can empower a small group.

Additionally, there are several policy changes the University could adopt toward fostering participation in political activism and discussion. As President of the Senate Jason Sheltzer has wisely observed, one of the key reasons Whig-Clio in particular and campus politics in general have slumped in the past 4 decades is the separation of alcohol and intellect. By lobbying the university to allow (responsible) alcohol use at Whig and other such events the ancient synergy between government and inebriation could be employed to great effect. Think of an Athenian Symposium, but with fewer eight year old boys. Finally, one way the university could encourage activism is by publicizing the ways it already encourages it. Today Princeton offers many tremendous opportunities for students to get involved, including taking semesters off to participate in political campaigns and special funding programs. Making such policies more widely known would thus serve to demonstrate that being passionate about a cause is working with the system, not against it.

Ultimately, however, many will still ask themselves if campus activism is truly necessary. After all, things are pretty good, right? Perhaps. Yet today we live in a pretty messed up world; there are a plethora of causes that need our participation The war in Iraq, the genocide in Darfur, potential war with Iran, HIV/AIDS, global poverty, compassionate globalization, each represent the sort of crucial issues that will define our future. Among our 5200 classmates are the best minds and most creative thinkers in the nation; for the sake of us all, we need to find a way to put our capabilities toward making a real difference.

Finally, I would like to close by saying that in true Hillary Clinton fashion, I would like to start a discussion with this piece. I’m actually quite interested in proposals for getting people to care about things, and I think this is one of those times where working as a group would maybe work out. Have a great break, DER



(Author's Note: This work represents my work in both my Whig and College Dem capacities. Author pledges his honor that he has not violated the honor code)