Reflections on My Year as President of IPA
“People get the government they deserve,” I heard someone say. My initial response was negation. It could not be true. There always are people who did not vote for the government they got, or did not vote at all. I certainly have not always gotten the government I voted for, or rather, perhaps never. Yet the more I thought about it the more apparent it became that there was truth to this statement.
The facts speak:
According to the US Census Bureau, the 2014 congressional election turnout rate of 41.9% was the lowest since the U.S. Census Bureau first began asking Americans about voting in 1978. The 2014 voting rate was 7.0 percentage points lower than in 1978 and down from the 45.5% in the 2010 congressional election.
Since 1972, approximately 50% (varying between 49-55%) of eligible voters voted in the US presidential elections. And something like 25% of American college students engage in a protest at some point during their college career. After college, however, the rate drops drastically.
Notably, so many people voice being unhappy with the state of affairs, the state of the union, the state of the state (especially in Illinois) and certainly we read and hear a lot about people being unhappy with the options in front of us. What is happening?
A staff writer at Walking Times, Sigmund Fraud (I’m not sure this is his actual name), writes about the current mindset of Americans (7/17/13) in his article “5 Reasons Why More Americans Don’t Protest”.
“Regarding politics,” he writes, “participatory democracy, and protest, the typical American mindset generally falls into one of three categories:
Fear – We are heavily propagandized to approach life from fear-centered consciousness. Life is to be viewed as a threat. America . . . is heavily invested in the combination of fear and security. To the average person, the prospect of facing militarized police and possibly being beaten, gassed, dispersed, arrested and perhaps even criminally charged for voicing dissent is certainly an adequate deterrent.
Apathy – Apathy is another symptom of our cultural decline, and a mindset that keeps most people from participating in civics or protest. Apathy is a nearly-conscious choice to remain ignorant and distracted about something while pursuing the path of least resistance. Apathy seems to be the number one byproduct of our culture of convenience. People don’t care about the quality of our world enough to become involved.
Resignation – Many Americans understand all too well what is happening to constitutional and lawful government and realize that until a much more massive awakening occurs and far more people take interest, there is little to be gained from protesting. This resignation has led many to focus instead on preparing for the worst, including for scenarios like economic collapse and social unrest. Storing food and developing emergency plans is now seen by many as a more productive use of energy than attempting to influence a corrupt political system by participating in politics or protest.”
Similarly in IPA members might express a concern, a complaint even, that IPA is not pursing a particular direction, project, initiative, or not in the way they would think necessary. Or people want certain offerings from IPA that have not yet been made available. The dilemma is the Association is almost completely comprised of volunteers and there are just so many person-hours available.
What does this mean for us as psychologists? What can we do?
First, it’s important to consider the three types of mindset “Sigmund Fraud” mentioned: Fear, apathy and resignation. Ask yourself if you struggle with any one of these. If so, consider what can be done to push through those feelings. Is there a new way of demonstrating your political concerns that doesn’t scare you? Is there a way to reinvigorate interest? Is there a way to stay connected instead of giving up?
If none of these things is an issue for you, if fear, apathy and resignation are not problems for you, consider more active engagement.
Consider IPA and its volunteers: Some of these volunteers, such as our current (as of the writing of this article) Legislative Chair, Pat Pimental, or Pat Farrell and the HCRC committee members, have donated countless hours to pursuing initiatives, supporting IPA, answering questions, writing articles. Perhaps you know that these dedicated individuals set aside A DAY OR TWO EVERY WEEK just for IPA related matters. This is all voluntary. No pay. No remuneration. And certainly no fame.
Of course there are others too, but not many when compared to the number of psychologists in Illinois. If we do the math, 5000 psychologists in Illinois, roughly 1300 IPA members and a handful of people (30 odd) doing the majority of the heavy lifting, there certainly is room for more engagement. The more people we have giving of their time, energy, expertise, opinions and talents, the better of an Association we would be. IPA needs you. Illinois needs you.
If you’re not happy with the government you have, do something about it. Consider running yourself. Encourage your friends to get involved. Spearhead a project or join a committee.
If you don’t like the government you have, ask yourself if you deserve something different.
Posted by: Karla Steingraber, Psy.D.October 5th, 2016 Share
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