One reason is the growing cultural sourness toward politics and government. Another probable cause is the current emphasis on state and national standardization tests. Critics of that trend charge that only those academic disciplines that are measured by standardized tests are truly valued. Reading and math are rigorously tested in this way, but the social studies curriculum isn't even on the standardized testing radar screen. At least not yet.
Young people are reluctant to participate in a stodgy, bogus system.
It was no accident that Jesse Ventura, the former wrestler, won the governorship of Minnesota. At best, the message is garbled. Only 29 percent of the nation's college freshmen believe that keeping up with political affairs is important, compared with almost 60 percent in 1966, according to a UCLA study. Moreover, Americans 18 to 20 years old are far less likely to register and vote than those 21 and over, according to Census Bureau statistics. Dismayed by such attitudes, Sen. John McCain based his presidential campaign and his fight for campaign finance reform on the belief that young people are turning their backs on a corrupt political system.