Voter apathy is frequently cited as a concern for democracy.
Apathy is seen as a concern in many different social or educational organizations, because the leaders know that participant engagement is required for success. I posit that at least part of the blame lies with the leadership, either elected, appointed or volunteered.
"Because I said so" doesn't work very well. Parents know this better than anyone, because we have all said it and got unsatisfactory results. Silence and resentment, blowback and stomping off, or whatever other ways our frustrated children use to express their displeasure at being shut out of the rationale for the decisions that directly affect their lives.
Parents say "Because I said so" when we are tired and don't want to take the time to explain ourselves, or just don't have the words, or occasionally because there are reasons the child cannot understand due to their limited understanding of the issues surrounding the decision.
However, as adults, it is reasonable and fundamental to our way of life, to expect an explanation and truth from those we elect and hire to run our organizations.
When the public is told to "trust us" or "we can't tell you because of FOIPPA" someone often did something wrong, poorly, or completely neglected their duty, and they are really hoping the questions will just stop. They want to cover for someone's bad behavior, or continue building their career and find the pesky media and/or member of the public they are supposed to serve, just too much bother. Sometimes it seems as if the jobs or careers the organizations provide are the reason for the organization, rather than its stated and public goals.
In the case of our parents, most of us realize later in life that when they couldn't explain why, at least their hearts were in the right place and there was a valid reason for their decision.
Whether it is the cover-ups for sexual abuse scandals rampant in nearly every organization that caters to minors, decisions that negatively affect children in the school system, abuse-of-power scandals like the ones in our governments that are in the news right now, the stonewalling in nearly every investigation into the actions of those trusted to act in the public interest, or even simply to explain the rationale for a decision, the initial response to a questioning public is nearly always the same: "Trust me, I have your best interests at heart" which is basically saying "Because I said so."
