Did you know that the federal government is currently debating passing a bill that would outlaw Netflix on the basis of corruption, fraud, and piracy?

Well, you didn’t know that, because it’s not true. And since most of your political information comes from Buzzfeed, you really weren’t sure. However, you shouldn’t need a Buzzfeed article complete with “Mean Girls” GIFS in order to be informed about pressing political problems. We guess it’s okay, though, because you “don’t care about politics” anyway.

Next time you say “I don’t care about politics,” replace the word “politics” with an issue currently in politics. Say, “I don’t care how much of my money goes to the government,” or, “I don’t care about student loans,” or, “I don’t care if we go to war.” Really? Because we can guarantee that you do. And if you don’t, then we’re very sorry about the accident that put you in the coma. (We’ll send flowers when you wake up.)

The apathy about political decisions and leadership present in the BSM community is depressing, especially considering that we are supposedly some of the nation’s best and brightest future leaders. We’re supposed to be ‘solving problems that matter,’ but the majority of BSM students aren’t even aware of what the problems are––nor do they care.

And yes, you do have a Constitutional right to not care, but the fact that you have Constitutional rights should be a huge factor in making you care. Not to mention, there are billions of people around the world, and in our own country, who live without these rights and fight for them on a daily basis.

Most of us are fortunate enough to live in environments where changes in politics make no noticeable difference in our lives. Recognize that this isn’t true for everyone––for some people those “boring policies” are life-changing.

So, no, we don’t care that you don’t understand the electoral college, nor do you need to be able to recite the Constitution word for word. But you should be aware of the issues our country faces and how your elected officials plan to resolve them.

If you don’t understand or care about politics now, then when? In a matter of a few years or even a few months you will be old enough to cast your own ballot. Will you care then? Or will you show up at the polling place completely dumbfounded because you have no idea who any of those politicians are?

There’s an election this November. Voting or not, pay attention to who’s running and on what platform. You don’t have to be a Democrat, and you don’t have to be a Republican. But for goodness sake, be informed.