In an election year like this one, it seems nearly impossible to get away from the constant coverage of the upcoming presidential election. The perpetual banter in the media intimidates many people, especially college-aged people who haven't seen this much politics in the news since they were in high school.
I understand, the world of politics is overwhelming and confusing, and unless you go out looking for it, there is no one that can force you to listen to it or understand it. However, you should feel somewhat inclined to know what is going on in your country, and what those in power are doing to help you or hurt you.
There are the people on each side of the extreme who seem to get all hot and bothered by politics, or they don't really pay attention to what's going on at all. The people in between are the majority, who have some sort of feelings towards a party or candidate, but get most of their information based on what their friends are sharing on Facebook, the clips they see on TV or what their peers are taking about. Most of my friends, and a majority of young people feel that they do not know enough about politics to be involved or to have a solid, individual opinion on what their beliefs are. For those of you who prefer to get your news by scrolling through the headlines on Facebook, I am here to tell you that you should focus your attention away from what your friends think and start shaping your own opinion.
As a late teen or early twenty-something, your focus is primarily on school, friends and partying. You think that politics and policy is something that adults worry about and you still have time to live in blissful ignorance.
Listen up honey, you are an adult.
I'm sorry to point that out, but as scary as that may sound, you need to understand that the people who are being elected now with have the power to make choices that affect you for the rest of your life. Scary, right? I know. So you should put your big girl/boy panties on and face the facts that you need to be informed and it is your time to step away from Instagram and the articles your friends are sharing on Facebook and learn something.
Sound scary? Have no fear! I have come up with some easy ways to get your politics and information in a way that is quick and easy to understand:
My personal favorite is theSkimm, a Monday through Friday email that keeps you up to date on the coming election, domestic and foreign news, and tells you why you should care. All in a language that is easy to understand and in a short, condensed form. Read it when you wake up and replace those 10 minutes you stay in bed scrolling through Facebook and be entertained and learn something while you're at it.
Bonus: theSkimm has a page on the 2016 election with every question you've ever had but have been too embarrassed to ask.
Another great email newsletter from The Daily Beast, is The Cheat Sheet which is pretty much the same thing as TheSkimm but you get the news from their original sources.
Another great source of news is the CNN app, which will send you their headlines as they come in, directly to your lock screen of your phone which you can click on if you think they're interesting.
If you are active on Twitter, then give Patrick LaForge @palafo from the New York Times a follow. He compiles tweets from every major news source to give a more mainstream newsfeed.
