The insults are flying, the people are fighting, and the social media accounts are getting more catty by the day. And no, I'm not talking about a new season of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians;" I'm talking about the 2016 Presidential race (although, let's be honest here, the latter is becoming more and more like a reality TV show every day. That's right, people, and from the way it's going now, it looks like it's gonna be one ugly face-off.
Now, I'm sure some of you are thinking Ugh. Another article about the election? How many more can we take? And I don't blame you: this year's election is the hottest thing to happen since "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" came out in theaters. But bear with me, because I'm not going to be writing about who I think you should vote for, and why (although, I do have my own opinions, which you may notice throughout this article). No, this piece is part revelation and part motivation for each and every one of us to get involved in the race.
A few days ago, I was talking with one of my friends about the way the election is going, and how I felt about the candidates. This is the first time that I get to vote, and initially, I was very excited to cast my ballot for a candidate. However, as time went on, my attitude about voting changed, because I felt like it has become one big reality TV show. I mean, come on -- have you seen some of the Donald Trump tweets? I don't even have a Twitter, and they've found a way to reach me. Here are a few to refresh your memories.
Oh, and who could ever forget this one:
Even while watching parts of the debates, I've felt disappointed. This is how the people running for president act? These are the people who may potentially lead our country in the future?
So I told my friend that I wasn't going to vote because, quite frankly, I did not support or like any of the people running. And they told me that mentality is a cop-out, that we can't just turn our backs on the fate of our country and decide not to vote. Because when it comes to it, we will be the ones living here in the next four years. And we will be the ones who will have to face what comes out of the next president's term.
No more searching up "How to Move to Canada if Trump is Elected." No more declaring that, "I don't like Hilary because she's too cold" or "I don't like Bernie because he's not a moderate," without having any information to back it up. That's what I thought before, yet my friend pushed me to do my research, rather than assuming that the media's depiction of a candidate is the accurate depiction. Because guess what? It never is!
What we need to do is our homework. And more importantly, we also need to cast our votes. Because even if you're voting for the person you dislike less, at least you're doing something to participate in your country's future.
And that, my fellow Americans, is how we truly make America great again.
