American Idol vs. American Freedom

A friend of mine made an excellent point via social networking the other day, that I hadn't thought of before, but got my thought process moving: how many people who vote for American Idol are registered/do vote in the American political elections?

I don't assume that people love politics like I do, nor do I assume that people care as much as I do. Which, is totally fine AS LONG AS the freedoms we get to enjoy as Americans are respected and appreciated. Regardless of which side of the aisle you support, freedom isn't free, and much has been sacrificed so that there may be opposite sides of the aisle.

All of that to say, does it strike anyone else as strange, that the American public gets more excited about voting for people who can sing than they do the people who run our beloved country? That the clothes they wear, the songs they sing, their backgrounds as individuals are more important than issues, laws, and our national security? Because it strikes me as such. Frankly, I find it sad. Granted, I'm not one who has ever enjoyed any of the reality TV shows, and I am certainly not implying that there is anything wrong with them. What I AM implying, however, is that there is a problem with this discrepancy.

Though my opinions of reality stars aren't to be coveted (I have zero respect for any of them, save those on the Home Makeover show, because at least they're doing something worthwhile), my opinions of a lot of politicians aren't really that much better (and yes, there are some Republicans that make me nauseas, just not as bad as Pelosi the Grossy). I do however feel that if you are going to have a platform on which to be heard, that you need to do something meaningful with it. While "meaningful" can be interpreted many ways, isn't it something that should be thought about?

Why is it that voting in an election is such a big deal? So hard? Such a hassle? Such an inconvenience? Why do people take it so for granted? The "uninformed" excuse baffles my mind. Whose fault is that? The "I'm only one person" does the same, given that you then shouldn't vote for anything because you will never be more than one. How has society as a whole managed to put who hits which note better in higher regard than what we pay in taxes or how many immigrants cross the border?

I'm sure this makes me sound like I'm 54 instead of 24, given that I may be the only 20-something girl to feel this way, but it's something that bothers me. I don't know what to do to fix it (I was taught that if you're bothered, you do something about it, don't just wait for someone else to do something), but I am going to give it ample thought. At least I know America is capable of having an opinion and voicing it... now, if only we could get on to the things that really matter...