The Presidential nominee debate was Monday night, in case you have not heard your Facebook friends spewing vitriol about one or both candidates or giving their so-called unbias, informed opinions about the debate in general. Usually, these statements are based on surface level analyses of each candidate, mostly disparaging the moral fiber or character of the other based on one's past or present behavior.
"Hillary's a criminal and should rot in jail!"
"Trump's a racist, misogynistic pig with an 8th-grade vocabulary."
I've heard it all. Heck, I've said and agreed with some of these statements; it's exhausting and reductive. I'm done, though. I don't want either of those people in office and I'm upset because as a country, we had and always have had a choice. We didn't have to make it this far, but our laziness and willful ignorance triumphed over common sense and political awareness. This country is a not a true democratic state, rather this country is an oligarchy. Basically, we are a country run by a small group of individuals who are elected to make decisions on the public's behalf. If you're a Marxist, the fact that the country is run by a small group of wealthy people probably fills you with dread. However, the reality is these people make decisions for us, which is why we should care about who we elect at every level of government: local, state, and federal.
If you are unsatisfied with the healthcare resources in your state, unemployment in your city, or the quality of education in your district, then educate yourself and go vote! Become an advocate for yourself and your values because no one else will. We place these people, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, on a pedestal as a potential savior for America's problems, which is problematic for many reasons, including the notion that we can be passive and shirk responsibility for this country. It's much easier to blame Congress' partisanship on the lack of progress in this country than think critically about who elected these people in the first place.
Today, West Virginia's Secretary of State, Natalie Tennant, visited Marshall University's campus to talk about the importance of voter registration and political activism in young women. She talked about her experience running for the United States Senate against Republican candidate, Shelley Moore Capito. Tennant wanted to know, before she told us of her experience on the debate stage during the US Senate campaign, if we knew who her opponent was for the evening. I almost answered, "Joe Manchin!" (West Virginia's former governor), and when she identified Moore-Capito I felt embarrassed because I should know; these people make decisions and advocate for our state at the national level! National politicians don't just decide to storm Washington overnight, they start out on city councils and work their way up, making policies that impact our lives. Indeed, if we didn't take it upon ourselves to become politically active once every four years, and watched the news, attended city council meetings, and stay informed on the issues daily, then we probably wouldn't become inflamed by every political diatribe on the Internet or blindly elect corrupt, irresponsible people.
In this country, we have a dominant two-party system, but it doesn't have to be this way! There are third party candidates, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein, for example, that could be viable candidates if we would subvert the two-party system as a whole. Just one person can start to make a difference in this country's political landscape, but it takes a whole group to solidify that change. Log off Facebook, quit griping to your neighbor, and get out there and try to make a difference every day through education and activism.
