>
      Ocroner
      12,
      2005
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Se
      DEMS
      A
      TSCA
      AREA
      ROUTERS
      RELL
      I
      8h
     
     
      PEL
      tester
      Pees
      earee
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Cadre
      —
     
     
      550
      Universit
     
     
      Charlottetown
      PE
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      ©
      2
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      I
      digress...
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ray
      Keating
     
     
      Managing
      Editor
     
     
      *Ap-a-thy
      (p’-tha)
      n.
     
     
      1.
      Lack
      of
      interest
      or
      concern,
     
     
      especially
      regarding
      matters
      of
     
     
      general
      importance
      or
      appeal;
     
    
   
   
    
     
      2.
      Lack
      of
      emotion
      or
      feeling;
     
     
      impassiveness.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      *
      www.dictionary.com
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kurt
      Cobain
      said,
      “My
     
     
      generation’s
      apathy.
      I’m
      disgusted
     
     
      with
      it.
      I’m
      disgusted
      with
      my
      own
     
     
      apathy
      too,
      for
      being
      spineless
      and
     
     
      not
      always
      standing
      up
      against
     
     
      racism,
      sexism
      and
      all
      those
      other
      -
     
     
      isms
      the
      counterculture
      has
      been
     
     
      whining
      about
      for
      years.”
     
    

    
     
      I
      have
      been
      sitting
      here
      for
      a
      few
     
     
      minutes
      reading
      this
      quote
      and
      thinking
     
     
      about
      where
      I
      stand
      in
      its
      light.
      Have
      I
     
     
      been
      spineless
      and
      not
      stood
      up
      when
     
     
      I
      should
      have?
      To
      some
      degree
      we
      all
     
     
      have.
      There
      are
      a
      few
      things
      I
      am
     
     
      passionate
      about,
      but
      for
      the
      most
      part
     
     
      I
      have
      stayed
      on
      the
      sidelines
      and
      out
     
     
      of
      other
      issues.
     
    

    
     
      I
      think
      the
      point
      I’d
      like
      to
      make
     
     
      here
      is
      that
      you
      can
      have
      passions
      and
     
     
      causes
      that
      you
      support,
      and
      you
      can
     
     
      be
      very
      active
      in
      a
      few
      things,
      but
      that’s
     
     
      not
      enough.
      We
      all
      know
      that
      there
      are
     
     
      not
      enough
      hours
      in
      the
      day
      to
      play
      an
     
     
      active
      role
      in
      everything,
      but
      what’s
     
     
      important
      is
      to
      figure
      out
      where
      we
     
     
      stand
      on
      things.
      I
      am
      not
      suggesting
      that
     
     
      everyone
      should
      hold
      the
      same
      point
     
     
      of
      view
      as
      I
      do.
      Your
      point
      of
      view
      may
     
     
      be
      diametrically
      opposed
      to
      mine.
     
     
      That’s
      fine.
      The
      important
      thing
      is
      not
     
     
      to
      be
      a
      “wishy-washy”
      person.
      :
     
    

    
     
      This
      past
      week
      there
      was
      an
     
     
      election
      on
      campus.
      Overall
      voter
     
    
   
   
    
     
      turnout
      was
      just
      over
      15%.
      In
      my
     
     
      opinion
      that’s
      pathetic.
      Our
      biggest
     
     
      opportunity
      to
      speak
      our
      minds
      in
      any
     
     
      democracy
      comes
      at
      the
      voting
      booth.
     
     
      Sure,
      we
      can
      make
      noise
      and
      write
     
     
      blogs
      and
      share
      our
      opinions
      with
     
     
      anyone
      who’
      ll
      listen,
      but
      if
      we
      don’t
      get
     
     
      out
      and
      vote
      when
      it
      counts
      we
      might
     
     
      as
      well
      not
      say
      anything
      at
      all.
      If
      you
     
     
      don’t
      vote,
      you
      have
      essentially
      given
     
     
      up
      your
      right
      to
      complain.
      If
      you
      don’t
     
     
      care
      enough
      to
      do
      something
      about
      a
     
     
      situation
      when
      it
      counts,
      why
      should
     
     
      anyone
      listen
      to
      you
      any
      other
      time?
      -
     
     
      Next
      month,
      there
      will
      be
      a
     
     
      plebiscite
      on
      a
      proposed
      new
      system
     
     
      of
      voting
      for
      Islanders.
      How
      many
      of
     
     
      us
      students
      will
      actually
      go
      out
      and
      vote
     
     
      on
      that
      issue?
      Ill
      be
      there.
      This
      is
     
     
      something
      I
      take
      very
      seriously;
      I
      have
     
     
      never
      failed
      in
      my
      civic
      duty
      to
      vote
     
     
      when
      called
      upon.
      Some
      of
      you
      reading
     
     
      this
      are
      at
      the
      point
      in
      your
      lives
      where
     
     
      you’
      re
      in
      a
      position
      to
      vote
      for
      the
      first
     
     
      time.
      Take
      it
      seriously,
      make
      it
      count.
     
     
      Voting
      is
      just
      the
      start.
      Pick
      an
     
     
      issue...
      any
      one
      at
      all:
      legalization
      of
     
     
      marijuana?
      same
      sex
      marriage?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      abortion?
      gun
      control?
      racism?...
      any
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      the
      other
      “—isms”
      that
      Kurt
      Cobain
     
     
      spoke
      about?
      Where
      do
      you
      stand
      on
     
     
      them?
      This
      is
      important...
      because
      if
     
     
      you
      don’t
      care,
      no
      one
      will.
     
    

    
     
      This
      past
      week
      I
      saw
      signs
      on
     
     
      campus
      talking
      about
      the
      situation
      in
     
     
      Haiti.
      This
      is
      not
      something
      I
      am
      involved
     
     
      in,
      but
      I
      applaud
      whoever
      is
      leading
      the
     
     
      charge
      here
      for
      not
      just
      sitting
      there
     
     
      complaining
      about
      it.
      I
      also
      heard
      about
     
     
      anew
      umbrella
      organization
      for
      student
     
     
      activism
      shaping
      up
      on
      campus.
      They
     
     
      are
      proposing
      to
      pool
      resources
      and
     
     
      share
      tips
      and
      best
      practices.
      This
      is
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      fantastic
      idea.
      They
      aren’t
      assembling
     
     
      a
      group
      of
      people
      who
      all
      think
      the
     
     
      same...
      but
      they
      do
      have
      one
      thing
      in
     
     
      common,
      they
      are
      passionate
      about
     
     
      their
      beliefs.
      As
      I
      said
      earlier,
      you
     
     
      needn’t
      get
      involved
      with
      every
      social
     
     
      action
      group
      out
      there,
      but
      if
      someone
     
     
      asks
      you,
      or
      the
      opportunity
      presents
     
     
      itself
      to
      share
      your
      opinion,
      it’s
     
     
      important
      that
      you
      actually
      have
      one.
     
     
      Who
      knows,
      your
      sharing
      may
      win
     
     
      someone
      else
      over
      to
      your
      way
      of
     
    

    
     
      I
      think
      that
      Jimmy
      Buffett
      sums
      it
     
     
      up
      best
      when
      he
      says:
      “Is
      it
      ignorance
     
     
      or
      apathy?
      Hey,
      I
      don’t
      know
      and
      I
     
     
      don’t
      care.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      if
      1.2
      million
     
     
      Canadians
      were
     
     
      murdered
     
    
   
   
    
     
      would
      the
      worid
     
     
      community
      notice’?
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
         
     
     
       
       
     
     
       
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Way
      don’t
      we
     
     
      notice
     
     
      1.2
      million
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tivetans’
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
        
     
     
        
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ae
     
     
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