If you are anything like me (which, God help you if you are), you may occasionally pretend to be more politically educated than you actually are. Occasionally. It’s understandably hard to be informed on every issue that matters, while still passing classes, having a life, sleeping, etc. At least it is for me. By no means am I an advocate for staying uneducated, but we all have lives and responsibilities outside of knowing every detail on every issue. So, I just pretend that I know what I’m talking about. Again, occasionally. For example, no matter how much I read about net neutrality, I always manage to forget what side I’m on. So when someone asks me how I feel about net neutrality, I say this:
“The thing about net neutrality is that the rhetoric surrounding it is so overwhelmingly partisan. This divide is a threat to the quality of our democracy, and one of the most important actions we can take is to educate the public and hope to bring in legislators on the right side of this issue.” It’s a lot of big words and patriotic tones and something no one can argue with.
“Raina, how do you feel about these new birth control regulations?”
“The thing about the legislation surrounding birth control is that its rhetoric is so overwhelmingly partisan. This divide is a threat to the quality of our democracy, and one of the most important actions we can take is to educate the public and hope to bring in legislators on the right side of this issue.”
“Hey Raina, did you see what Trump said about the NFL?”
“The thing about the NFL debate is that the rhetoric surrounding it is so overwhelmingly partisan. This divide is a threat to the quality of our democracy, and one of the most important actions we can take is to educate the public and hope to bring in legislators on the right side of this issue.”
You get the point. Yet, it doesn’t always suffice. So, if you’re in debate class and your professor is catching onto this formulated answer, here’s a few fun ways to #staywoke.
1) John Oliver
Watch him either on Youtube, HBO, or with someone else’s HBOGO account. Oliver’s journalism is hilarious, and he and his team present today’s stories in a refreshing way. Somehow, Last Week Tonight manages to make a story about pennies informative, funny, and interesting. He tends to be left-leaning, so don’t let him be your only source of news.
2) Campus resources
offers many discussion based clubs, seminars, and debates. The great thing
about these events is that you can go just to listen. No participation points!
Join College democrats/republicans. Join college republicans as a secret
democrat spy, and get a grasp of the probably pretty moderate enemy.
3) Social Media
By “social media”, I don’t mean to follow all your favorite politicians, celebrities, and activists. You can, but on top of that, follow a few middle of the road politicians or news sources. NBC, CBS, and ABC are all generally regarded as fairly middle of the road. If you’re on the left, some moderate republicans, and vice versa.
4) Documentaries
We've probably all watched a documentary out of boredom, and then spent the next day really passionate about that topic. I know after watching Bowling for Columbine, all I did for weeks was spit facts and talk about much needed gun control and legislative reform. Netflix is home to many great documentaries that wont bore you out of your mind. I would recommend watching one on an issue you are not already informed or devoted to.
