Republican is to Romney as Democrat is to Obama. Easy enough, right?
Not so much. If that is about all you know about politics, then this one’s for you. With so many different opinions and issues bombarding our Facebook newsfeeds and Twitter timelines, it’s easy to feel like we know what is going on in our government and in this presidential election. In reality though, many people are just reading what their friends say and trying to formulate a stance off those biased statements.
Some voters refuse to listen to the opinions of their friends on Twitter and are firm in the vote they will be casting in November because they are just going to take on their parents’ political views. This is just as bad as blindly taking on a political stance created by what they read on their timeline.
We 18- to 23-year-olds are in a completely different country than our parents were raised in. The views our parents have built up might mirror what we stand for, but it is up to us to start thinking for ourselves and take the responsibilities that come with it.
Voting and participating in your government is important. But don’t just vote because everyone else is doing it or your parents told you to. Know _whom_ you are putting in office and _why_ you agree with what they say. Walking into a voting poll blind will do more damage than not voting at all. In politics, you can’t really fake it ‘til you make it. Simply acting political and up-to-date on current events won’t make you an informed citizen.
I am by no means a political expert, but as a citizen, I have taken the time to learn about the government that steers our great country.
When the first presidential debate aired, I thought Twitter was going to overload so bad they would have to shut it down for the evening. Many of the people I follow had an opinion on what was being said by the two candidates. And they all should. I was glad to see so many people tuning into the debate. According to FOX News, the last debate was the cause of 7.2 million tweets.
The more heated the debates and topics got, the more I started to question how many people actually knew what they were talking about when they posted their opinions on Twitter and Facebook.
It is easy to feel like you know what you are talking about when you have read a few articles and are able to understand your political friends’ tweets, but how much do you actually know?
When I asked some of my friends who they were voting for, they effortlessly said whomever their parents tell them to vote for.
A good majority of us have a history of disagreeing with our parents on a regular basis. Why start agreeing now? With no information to back yourself up, there is no reason to blindly take on your parents’ political viewpoints. It’s common for us to take on their same political beliefs, but we should not be taking them by default.
Don’t just be jumping on the political bandwagon because you can. There is nothing worse than someone who goes around supporting something they don’t really know or care about.
Unless you plan to move out of this country anytime soon, the next elected president will have a direct effect on your life. We aren’t kids anymore, it’s time to grow up and start making our own decisions. If you don’t vote in this election, you really can’t complain if the government isn’t doing what you want it to in the next four years. You had your chance to be a part of it.
There is an array of political opinions out there. That’s what makes us a democracy; that’s what makes us America. Take advantage of the variety and discover what you believe for yourself. We are lucky to be able to have our own political viewpoints — not all countries get the opportunity. Don’t just vote because you’re finally 18 years old. Learn the political arguments and figure out what you believe so you can turn in an educated ballot this November.
We have consistently been told that we are the future of this country. As cheesy and annoying as it sounds, they are right and the future is now. It’s finally our turn to have a say in who calls the shots in this country and how he or she does it. Let’s all do our part and do this right.
