Oftentimes, people get uncomfortable when presented with a political discussion and even get offended at the prospect of someone bringing it up. This is especially apparent with people in high school or college. There are hesitant types who avoid any and all controversial topic, and passionate types who intimidate others with their opinions.
I fall into the latter category, and personally am confused as to why people get so antsy in the face of politics. My older sister told me she doesn't even care about politics. How?! You are a low-income, soon-to-be-single mother who greatly benefits from welfare such as WIC and SNAP. Where do you think that comes from?
Some people are unaware of how relevant the government is to their lives. The roads and bridges come from government funding of infrastructure; free public primary and secondary schools come from government funding of education; our skilled, massive military comes from government funding of defense.
Another common behavior of adults is to brush off the opinions of young people. We're in college now, getting an education, and it is time to educate ourselves on something that affects us in every way. It affects our freedom to buy what we want, choose a career track, voice our opinion, and live our own lives.
But we aren't perfect. Discrimination is abundant in ways both obvious and subtle, exemplified by police brutality and the employment process respectively; while gay marriage was recently legalized, transgender and transsexual people are still greatly denied their rights and can even be fired simply for being transgender or transsexual; income inequality in the United States is the worst among developed nations, thus the wealthiest 130 families enjoy the products of the growing economy while the majority of Americans feel no different.
There are many problems that need to be fixed, and we are the future voters and politicians -- political apathy is dangerous. We choose where our country goes from here, and with corruption amongst lobbyists and donors, our legislators aren't representing our wishes or our lifestyles. They make decisions to help the very rich, diminishing the middle and lower classes (that's us!). They give tax breaks, talk of cutting welfare and Social Security, and send young soldiers from our own families into pointless wars. Thus, it is harder for people to find jobs, save money in case of emergencies, and end up in crippling debt due to health bills, student and bank loans, and/or mortgages. We have to become active and informed to prevent these things from happening.
The issue is that people believe these things are permanent and inevitable -- that there is no way to change it, so they do not care who wins elections. While there was 57.5% voter turnout in the 2012 presidential election (which is still relatively low), a mere 36.4% of eligible voters participated in the 2014 midterm elections, which is the lowest since 1942. The legislators are just as important as the president. They're the ones listening to the whispers of billionaires. Nothing gets done this way. The rich are becoming richer, and the people are left wondering how, exactly, the economy has improved.
We have to change this carelessness. Talk about politics. Have healthy debates. Become a registered voter. Utilize your right to assemble and protest. Call your congresspeople. Let the government hear your opinion, and things can change.
