Let's put the "season of cynicism" into the lockbox

The "National Review" has got to be the conservative's conservative magazine, the mother of all things right (wing that is; I'm not so arrogant as to think that conservatives are always right and liberals always wrong.).

I recently began my subscription to NR, and have enjoyed every issue so far. To complement this ultra-conservative bi-weekly, I also subscribe to "The Nation"(As a college student, normally I wouldn't have the money to subscribe to both of these magazines, but I took advantage of wonderful election year specials! Hooray for discounts!), a left-leaning magazine which balances things, because, in my opinion, even though I am staunchly conservative, I believe it is important to get a well-rounded viewpoint on things ideological. Also, I am convinced that both the left and right have good ideas and theories, but they are rarely ever applied well, usually due to bi-partisan bickering, and election year politics.

To comment on the NR, let me say that there is no attempt to be bi-partisan in any way, every article is conservative, anti-Clinton, and anti-Gore (and personally, I like it). But we need that. With the vast vanguard of liberal tendencies and ideologies floating hither and yon throughout the media, a voice for conservatism is necessary, and the NR is that voice.

I find the writing always interesting, though sometimes high-brow (I especially found this to be true of William F. Buckley's columns found near the rear).

About the magazine itself...the NR isn't going to win any awards for it's glib layout, or its use of flashy pictures etc. Basically the articles begin, and when one ends, the next starts. It's a refreshing change from all the glitz and glitter most magazines throw at us in this 15-second-attention-span-generation.

However, to complement this review, I have put together a little bit of a rant about our current political situation, which has been exacerbated by our national media, both liberal and conservative. There is intense voter apathy in this country, and a growing malaise that all things are useless, for there's nothing I can do. These attitudes, the cynicism and irony that dominate America are addressed in a wonderful little book by Jedediah Purdy, "For Common Things."

Here's my rant, it may not fit in a review of NR, but there's really no other place here in Epinions for me to say this...

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What was once a slow leak of laziness, has now become a gushing geyser of voter apathy. Americans seems to care no longer about anything but themselves and their own welfare (How high are my taxes? How do I benefit?), and this is borne out when one looks at the dropping percentage of voters voting in state and national elections (You can check out these numbers for yourself at www.fec.gov.).

The cause of this disturbing trend is what Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush calls the “season of cynicism.” America has become an ironic country. No longer do we express ideals, and no longer is it cool to express ideals. Rather, it is the vogue to criticize, to deplore, to reject, and to be pessimistic, and to express ourselves in sound bites, instead of real cogent thoughts. We are a country of cynics who, instead of believing that our vote counts, figure, “Why should I vote?”

We should vote because Al Gore is right. America is at an important time in its history. As we approach the turn of the millennium many critical junctures are being approached. Should we “save” Social Security, or, as Gore likes to say, put this expected (better word “alleged”) multi-trillion dollar surplus into a “lockbox?” Will America take more socialistic steps and adopt national health care reform, a Patients Bill of Rights, and free free free prescriptions for seniors (this is what the Dems really want, you can tell!)? Will parents and students be allowed to choose where to attend school with the help of vouchers? Will we strengthen the military?

The cynic says, “Ah, who cares…they don’t do what I want anyways.” And for too long we have allowed this type of attitude, an “I don’t care” mentality, to be okay. Just as it is wrong to sit idly by and not share the Gospel with someone you know is in need of it, it is wrong to let someone fall prey to the temptation to not care. Our founding fathers gave their lives that we might have the right to be a nation, that we might have the right to stand up and be counted, and that we might have the right to have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

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For my money, a magazine like National Review can help me to form the opinions necessary to make an informed vote, and to attempt to keep our country what it is...great.