The word moral comes from the Latin, originally meaning ?custom?. However, the context that the word moral usually is in ties it along with some religious significance. While the discussion will undoubtedly flirt with the religious side of things, the issue that should be considered has no major religious significance in itself. Pervading all aspects of life, the lackadaisical attribute of apathy has increasingly manifested itself on the American mainland. Even the fanatical nationalism that became a fad after the terrorist attacks in September has faded into a lemming-like following of government action, in which emotions are absent.

The growing number of those apathetic or disillusioned to a cause has risen dramatically across the board as the years have passed. From a high of sixty-four percent in the 1960 election, voter turnout in the United States has plummeted to an all-time low of forty-nine percent in 1996, with only a slight rise to fifty-one percent in 2000. A major reason for the masses of disillusioned non-voters in the United States is the gradual move toward conservative ideology by the Democrats, who abandoned historical constituents such as African-Americans and Union members. This, coupled with a more flagrant fellowship with large business, has effectively made the American republic into a one-party system.

However, America?s future might not be as grim as one may claim. A number of small groups hold the key for enacting social change to the ailing American republic. These groups, which gain small amounts of power through grassroots organizing, combat apathy in the political arena by providing a viable option to the self-serving, business-led parties. Such groups, if not neutralized by inception into one of the two major parties or discounted by conservative media, usually either splinter or disintegrate within a few years of their beginning. Starting out as one-issue parties, they run a double threat of losing potential voters due to a incomplete agenda or by specializing their agenda to such a degree that all but the most ardent of supporters leave the group.

Varied movements also attack apathy by intertwining dogma into an established genre of music. Starting as early as the African-American spirituals, these mixtures of music and ideology reach a wider range of people. While grassroots movements are usually began out of necessity, and almost exclusively are used by those without power, this combination of music and politics is used by all socioeconomic stratum. For example, Christian music (music that either promotes or teaches Christianity) is an extremely well-supported and successful movement. On the extreme opposite, there is a movement, albeit much smaller, that attacks Christianity in music. By far, the musical movement that has gained the highest number of adherents and listeners is a relatively new genre popularly called Polit-Punk, or Political Punk. While both the Christian and anti-Christian movements are relatively devoid of inherent political meaning, the Political Punk movement is one in which politics is the main focus. Various youth that may have grown apathetic by the system have had their faith restored by this alternative to the mainstream.

While a musical genre as Christian music would seem to be totally innocuous, a much darker side surrounds the genre as a whole. Sponsored by multinational recording companies, the doctrine of Christ has been tailored to a musical style of the day and boxed for profit. These same multinational companies are also the ones that contribute heavily to both major political organizations, creating an all-encompassing web of all elements of human life. A counter-movement within the Christian community who rallies against profiting with devotional music has been organized of all denominations.

A stunning example of this multinational web that ties politics, business, and homogenized faith together in a bundle would have to be Pat Robertson. A television evangelist by trade, Robertson has been involved with television, presidential nominations, and the military. In 1960, Robertson founded CBN, his own personal television station. He then later sold CBN to Fox Family, but still seemed to relegate a large amount of control over his station. Fox Family, and its parent network Fox, especially seemed to try to further the Christian agenda after the terrorist attacks. A concise and especially swift movement, this tapped into the whole fervor of patriotism and ran a line of fundamentalist Christianity next to it. Even in Robertson?s apology for the remarks made by Jerry Falwell after the attacks, an attack is made against the People for the American Way, a liberal watchdog organization.

When a person begins to gain a scope of the magnitude of self-serving forces that tie themselves into the two major parties, it becomes easy for that person to be disillusioned with the American political system. However, through a number of small, supportive groups and a large amount of politicized music, various people begin to realize that they can fight for change. Thus, the current moral problem of apathy can be combated.