C
ome Monday, Americans may wake up to find themselves in a drastically different country than the one they knew before they went to bed. As of June 1, Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the portion that has been used by the National Security Agency to justify the mass collection of cell phone data, is set to expire. Section 215 has captured the fascination of Americans in recent years, particularly following the public revelations made by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden beginning in May 2013.
In recent weeks, activists and organizations dedicated to government transparency, such as Snowden and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have taken to the Internet to drum up support and activism in order to ensure that Congress, with whom the power to let government provisions lapse lies, is aware of how unpopular Section 215 is. Just last Friday, Snowden, flanked by Jameel Jaffer, the deputy legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union, hosted an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit.
In the session, they provided links to sign petitions decrying Section 215, as well as an automated number that gives callers, after inputting their zip code, direct access to their local representative followed by their state senators.
Having read “1984,” as well as valuing my capacity to send vulgar dispatches to my friends without fear of possible government reprisal, I made it a point to call the number (1-920-END-4-215), and I was able to speak to representatives from the offices of Rep. Ted Yoho and Florida Sen. Bill Nelson and Sen. Marco Rubio. Doing so felt empowering and, in a large departure from how it usually feels to participate in American civil society in these turbulent times, democratic. Even when speaking to a representative from Rubio’s office, whom I knew full well would parrot Rubio’s staunch support of NSA surveillance, it felt nice to actually engage in a dialogue rather than merely reposting an article that boiled my blood on *take your pick of social media platform here.*
Later in the day, I went to a friend’s house in a slightly more enthused mood than usual, having done my duty as an American to take part in the political process that has been allotted to me. I encouraged both of the people there, knowing where their political philosophies lie, to make their voice heard and call the number. My sudden patriotism was met with a resounding “meh.” “I’m moving out of the country soon, I don’t really ‘have’ a zip code anymore,” one friend said. The other just cracked wise about the government seeing his inappropriate snap chats and continued to play “Clash of Clans.”
Their reactions are emblematic of a larger problem in American society, namely, the detachment experienced by young Americans in their relationship with the government. I have no illusions about why many young Americans don’t feel passionate about American politics; even as a political science major, I have experienced malaise regarding them. American politics have always been a weary proposition, but with the sheer number of lousy things the 21st century has thrown at us (9/11, two drawn-out wars abroad, economic inequality and the enactment of Orwellian policies among them), along with the 24/7 coverage provided by the likes of CNN, it has become easier than ever for Americans to justify separating themselves entirely from the larger goings-on of today. That being said, disengagement is almost certainly not the answer. I’m not deigning to be some paragon of activism and political involvement; as anyone who actually reads my column on a frequent basis can attest, politics is a subject I scarcely touch on in these pages. But when the future leaders of the U.S. — people with otherwise strongly held political views — fail to do the bare minimum to enact change, then we have a real problem on our hands.
Disregarding whether anyone reading this column suddenly feels the swell of the National Anthem in his or her belly and decides to call 1-920-END-4-215 to contact those who speak for them in D.C. before June 1 (although it would be really neat if you did), it is my sincere hope that you, Alligator readers, regardless of age or political affiliation, second guess yourselves and your involvement in matters that directly impact your lives. As Theodor Seuss Geisel once wrote, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Zach Schlein is a UF political science junior. His column appears on Thursdays.
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 5/28/15]
