I'm Bad at Politics

I will confess:
I did not participate in the 2010 Midterm Elections.
I didn't even obtain an absentee ballot.
Why, you ask in your most outraged voice?
Well, 1) I still forget I can vote.
2) I never follow politics besides the Daily Show or The Colbert Report.
3) When I saw the ads on TV, I only saw them bashing each other for governor.
4) I didn't know there was such a thing as a Midterm Election.

Yes, I am one of the many terrible Americans.
Even worse, I'm one of those terrible African-Americans,
something I've dreaded for more than half my existence on this Earth.

Why do I bring up the African-American aspect?
Because I saw on Twitter, my other avenue for what happens in the world,
that there are no African-Americans in the House of Representatives.
Now, who am I to say that their white counterparts weren't more qualified?
Remember, I don't follow politics.
But then I got hit with the even worse statistic:
only 4.7% of African-Americans voted during the Midterm Elections.

You have no idea how badly want to criticize my people,
but I can't because I'm part of the slacking 95.3%.
God, that looks daunting.

How did this happen?
I guess "we" thought with Barack in office, we'd be good.
"Ey, dawg. Fuck is a midterm election? I ain't never hearda that shit."
"Man, I just voted two years ago."
"All I know is that ain't kicking Barack out yet. He got til 2012. Then the world gonna end anyway."
"Truth. Now pass that menthol, yo."

African-Americans, myself included,
need to realize that if we plan on becoming respected in this country,
if we want to have an input and advance as a people,
we have to pay attention to the issues and vote.
It doesn't matter if it's Democrat, Republican, or Tea Party.
Shit, I bet most of us don't even know what the Tea Party is.
But then again, I kinda wonder if anyone really does.
Again, I don't follow politics.

I just reviewed my list of 101 tasks in 1001 days.
The only one pertaining to politics is:
94) Follow the next presidential election
I didn't even think of it until the end of my list.

I have to escape the mentality that I don't need to
pay attention to how our government functions
because I'm still a college student.
That excuse is only good for another seven months, anyway.

So do I pledge to watch more CNN
and attend town hall meetings?
I can't say for sure.
But I do plan on educating myself on the processes
and the laws and acts we already have in place.
I set out to clearly see what the Democrat and Republican parties stand for.
I mean, it took this site for me even begin to understand
what President Obama has actually been up to.

So this address not only goes out to my fellow African-Americans,
not just to myself,
not even just to other young Americans of voting age,
but to every one in this country.
We gotz ta do better.
Word.