4 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, August 16, 2004 I 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com NIAMH SLEVIN Editor in Chief SUHAEL MOMIN Editorial Page Editor 0 EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other pieces do not SINCE 1890 necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. According to a new study released by University assistant professor Nojin Kwak, the blight of young voter apathy may be related to young American's attraction to late night tele- vision shows such as "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Kwak's conclu- sions are based on data the Youth Vot- ing Coalition collected through a phone survey. Kwak's analysis finds that vot- ers between the ages of 18 and 24 tend to carry a deep cynicism and mistrust regarding politics and politicians and that late night television shows only contrib- ute to this cynicism. Although it is per- haps undeniable that young voters have a greater propensity to be pessimistic about politics, the study fails to effectively establish the link between cynicism and voter apathy. In fact, the negativism dis- played by young voters can be a positive tool. This cynicism should be utilized by young voters and addressed and compen- sated for by politicians. A cynic is nothing but a dissatisfied idealist. Young voters are a unique politi- cal demographic because their negative political outlook stems from their ada- Unleashing cynicism Political satire a potential cure for apathy mant ideals and an unflinching vision of how politics should be. Even though the habitually low turnout of young voters has caused society to deride young voters as apathetic, this common judgment can- not be applied to the cynical young voters interested in late night political shows. Anyone watching political parodies has, at some level, an interest in the subjects satirized and thus cannot be apathetic toward them. Instead, it is more likely that youth feel disenfranchised and dis- gusted over the many blatant manipula- tions of our political system. Thus, while these young voters may hold deep convic- tions, they avoid the perceived corruption of the political process. Fundamentally, cynicism indicates that young voters are not apathetic because even a discouraged idealist has ideals, and is hence, by defi- nition, not apathetic. As indicated by the study, many young voters are not apathetic, but instead just not confronted by the mainstream political dialogue. Young voters seek political information and the comfortable, accessible world of late night television has become their source. Kwak's study follows a recent 2004 report released by the Pew Research Center stating that television comedy programs, such as the popular news spoof "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," are a large source of politi- cal information for young adults. This increase in politically charged popular media has been dubbed "poli-tainment," and its burgeoning popularity shows that young adults are attempting to become more politically enlightened. Fortunately, it seems politicians are responding to this increase in late night legitimacy by appearing on these late night televisions shows. Arnold Schwar- zenegger announced his gubernatorial candidacy on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and Bill Clinton played the saxophone on "The Arsenio Hall Show"6 as well as appeared on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." It seems that poli-tain- ment has become a credible venue for political discourse and politicians should further take advantage of the engrossed youthful audience. Faced with pervasive cynicism, politi- cians and youth activists should seek means through which the suppressed ide- alism of politically cynical youth can be harnessed. While this may be difficult in practice, addressing the root causes 0 of cynicism, such as mistrust of elected officials and disgust towards political machinations and manipulations, could be fruitful. Since youth voters care about the issues but are disaffected by the sys- tem, efforts should be taken to convince this younger demographic that they can work through the system to not only address the issues but also the system itself. While young cynics sitting outside0 the political arena might have a vision for the future, it is only by bringing their ideas into the arena that their visions may be fulfilled. Warped board Detroit school board needs more legitimacy Gainful steps Measures to increase walkability a good sign egislators in Lansing and activists in Detroit are the latest groups to spar over a recently approved proposal that will be open to Michigan voters this November. The proposal, put on the bal- lot by the state Legislature, will let vot- ers decide whether or not to give Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick the power to appoint the executive officer of the Detroit School Board. The executive officer is a particularly important individual whose professional perogative includes the author- ity to negotiate union contracts within the school district. Activists have been con- cerned about the sovereignty of the school board ever since 1999, when the Mayor was granted authority to appoint all its members. If voters approve this propos- al, constituents in Detroit will elect nine members of the school board, with Mayor Kilpatrick appointing an executive officer. However, if voters defeat the proposal, the system will go back to what it was prior to 1999: all members of the school board will be elected. When faced with this choice, Detroiters should oppose any proposal that takes away citizen sovereignty over the school board. Of course, the Detroit School Board has had its difficulty in the past. Back in 1999, the legislature, faced with doubts about the board's competency, gave the power of appointment to then-Gov. John Engler and former Mayor Dennis Archer. While the decision to take over the school board was not wholly without merit, the mes- sage it sent to Detroit voters and parents in the Detroit school system was that, in the words of State Senator Hansen Clarke (D-Detroit), "you don't know how to elect a school board." This proposal aims to ameliorate tensions and seeks to draw a compromise between a fully elected and fully nominated board. Unfortunately, this "compromise" is not an acceptable solution. Even though Kilpat- rick is a locally-elected official, he should not be granted appointment powers. The executive officer can have a serious impact on not only the school board, but also the teachers and faculty of the Detroit School District. Arguably, the position helps "steer" the direction of the board; whoever controls the office exercises influence over the board. The entire board, including the executive, should be held responsible to the people of Detroit - not merely the Mayor. The only way to ensure this is by allowing citizens to elect all 10 members. The voters are entitled to elect the people from their own ranks who make decisions that affect the education of their children. In any other part of the state, the various measures taken by the state government would have been justly seen as an obstacle to democracy. The Detroit School Sys- tem is neither the poorest financially nor poorest in performance amongst Michi- gan school districts - if power-stripping measures are approved in Detroit, similar measures could be suggested for underper- forming districts throughout the state. This proposal, seen as brilliant compromise, could actually be a Pandora's Box. Seeking to retain more college grad- uates in the state of Michigan, Gov. Jennifer Granholm began the Cool Cities Initiative, which allocated funds to be used in efforts to attract young grad- uates toward "cooler" cities. Recently, Ypsilanti has committed its Cool Cities money into making its downtown area more pedestrian-friendly by developing an efficient sidewalk system. Through improving Ypsilanti's transit system, the city presents a more hospitable liv- ing environment that will be attractive for students graduating from the many neighboring colleges and universities. Through the reconstruction of side- walks and aesthetic additions such as benches and flowers, the downtown area of Ypsilanti will become much more friendly and enticing to pedestrians. Cur- rently, Ypsilanti residents find their side- walks to be too narrow and limited, constricting their movement and making certain areas appear to be unwelcoming. Consequently, more walkways will be designed and constructed to be especially wide in efforts to accommodate a host of walkers and make the downtown area easier to commute. These minor differ- ences pay great dividends, as accessibil- ity is vital to ensuring an area's vitality and "coolness." In addition to enhancing the city's transit system, improving Ypsilanti's walkability also contributes to a fertile environment for social interaction and business opportunities. Instead of driving to and from destinations in relative isola- tion, people in walkable areas are able to easily commute on foot, surrounded by fellow members of the community. This increased interaction undoubtedly fosters a more integrated, socially connected community. Furthermore, increased foot traffic will improve business for down- town merchants and restaurants, drawing additional business into the area. Here in Ann Arbor, walkability has undoubtedly contributed to a thriving downtown econ- omy as well as a bustling social scene. By increasing walkability, Ypsilanti is making a valiant effort to address the "brain drain," an accelerating flight of college graduates from the state of Mich- igan and city of Detroit into the flourish- ing metropolitan areas of cities such as Boston, Austin and Chicago. Through advanced public transit systems, many large urban cities are able to sustain@ flourishing business and industrial sec- tors, creating appealing job markets and attracting job-seeking graduates. Realiz- ing the importance of'efficient and con- venient residential as well as commercial districts, Ypsilanti's walkability project is a commendable stride toward enticing a younger population to live in Michigan by promoting commutability and business hospitality. While sidewalks alone will not be enough to convince graduates to stay in Michigan, Ypsilanti's use of Cool Cities funds to undertake fundamentally important projects is an encouraging sign about the Initiative's viability.