Re: Hands up & bio update

Rosa Graciela Montes (rmontes who-is-at mail.udlap.mx)
Sat, 14 Nov 1998 06:18:53 -0600 (CST)

On Fri, 13 Nov 1998, LOUISE GRACE YARNALL wrote:

> i'm starting work on my dissertation, where
> my interests in political education will move to the forefront,
.....
> i don't know about anybody else,
> but i think it's a pretty damning symptom of our body politic today that
> most of our young people are burnt-out
> non-voting cynics by the age of majority. and i say that as someone who
> WAS one before i became a political journalist (in a previous life...)
> and as i recall, i copped that attitude from my teachers and Saturday
> Night Live. we need an antidote to the easy, sexy political cynicism
> promoted in our media and academic circles today.

Louise, your message really resonated with me. I have been fascinated
with politics all my life but ironically, since I've spent most of my
adult life outside of my own country I've been unable (by law) to
participate except at a very low level within the University.

Within the University I've despaired at other academics who stay put
during election periods, justifying their inaction with the sexy cynicism
you mention and the "dirtiness" of all political activity, and then spend
the next four or six years complaining that the elected officials are
"politicos" and not academics.

Greetings, this time not from the back of the class but from the
political "outs", Rosa