by Hyperion » Sat Nov 16, 2013 1:50 am
The young aren't engaged because there is no realistic outlet for them to express change. In the 1960s there was the threat of mass uprisings that motivated Congress and the Courts to pass along HUGE, progressive reforms in less than 20 years. This was at a time when the federal government gained significant power and pushed the goalposts further. Now we have a very powerful state apparatus that isn't respondent to the population's need. Racial equality, gender equality, sexual freedom - these were all platforms that only a decade earlier were only receiving passing interest at the federal level, and for over half of the country were in fact moving backwards.