I used to think that politics were a waste of time, that there were more important things than listening to a bunch of people argue about things that would never affect me.
“Almost seven-in-ten Americans (68%) feel worn out by the amount of news there is these days,” according to Jeffrey Gottfried of the Pew Research Poll. As a result, the most appealing option is to just give up and act like none of it exists, forgoing politics for the sake of ease. This ability to ignore politics comes from a place of privilege, where you are admitting that because of your status in society (whether gained or not), whatever the political outcome, it will not change your way of life.
For awhile this apathetic or privileged mindset worked, until I started becoming really good friends with people who were different than me: different races, genders, religious backgrounds, sexualities, income levels, etc. As I started to get to know them better, I also started realizing that so many of the things I took for granted or found annoying affected them in drastic ways. I have watched my friends be racially profiled by police, have to drop out of school to take care of dying relatives who could not afford their healthcare, be told that because they were born in a certain place that they don’t count as a person, and much more.
Often times these incidents are not just one-off things, but instead written into law and defended by those meant to represent us, and we have the power to change this through our vote.
A study by the Congressional Management Foundation found that “direct constituent interactions have more influence on lawmakers’ decisions than other advocacy strategies.” This means you have a choice to make: to use your voice to tell your representatives what you want or to stay silent and be complicit in injustice through inaction.
“Democracy transformed from thin paper to thick action is the greatest form of government on earth,” said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. about the Selma bus boycotts. This statement still rings true today. With major national and local elections coming up in 2020, what you check on the ballot could free children from cages or keep them there, take military weapons off the street or allow them to remain there, allow people to keep healthcare or have it taken away. You have to know what you are voting for and how it will affect yourself and others.
Our 2019 and 2020 elections are fast approaching and while some sit in awe, ready to take in every bit of information that they can, most of us feel bombarded by politics. However, there are many issues that we know need to change but we do not know where to start, from systemic racism to affordable healthcare and the student debt crisis. By taking the time to understand the issues and what elected officials stand for, you can begin to make real change by being informed and getting involved.
Our power is in our vote and our voices, and you can only vote well and speak truth to power when you are plugged in to what is happening and know how it will affect yourself and others.
