What I Learned From Andrew Yang's Rally
My experience at my first presidential rally, and what I learned from Andrew Yang.
While each and every election is important, this upcoming presidential is incredibly important to me and my peers. It is Generation Z's first time voting. As a recently turned 19-year-old attending one of the most politically active schools, being informed about current issues is simply a must. Although I am continuously working to catch up to my peers, attending Andrew Yang's rally enlightened me on many issues that had not previously come to mind.
I would like to share that I am no way endorsing Andrew Yang, and this article has nothing to do with my political views. The following is about what I feel I need to make an informed decision when America is deciding who deserves to be our next president.
To begin with a little backstory, I learned about Yang recently. While hearing about him from someone very close to me, I was encouraged to attend his rally. I did minimal research on the candidate, as a currently unknown candidate does not hold priority over finals. We arrived incredibly early to the rally and got to stand on stage right near the candidate. It was enthralling until the candidate began his speech.
As it was my first-ever rally, the first thing I noticed was the energy of his campaign manager. Carly, who could not have been much older than me, handled the entire event with "organized spunk." She was gracious while transcending this incredible energy before Yang took the stage. To see someone who was so close to my age possess that amount of energy for a virtually unknown candidate was inspiring.
Going back to the main event, Yang's speech was not too enticing for me. As not being a politician, one could easily tell that this is new for him. His platform focuses on the numbers, and they had rally signs saying "math." At first, I thought this was an abbreviation, figuring I was behind on his slogans. Turns out, it was not an abbreviation. His signs were really just saying "math," as his campaign largely focuses on the numbers. As one of many who attempts to avoid math at all costs, I was not enticed
This is not to say I disagreed with his talking points. In fact, I agreed with most of his proposed policies. Again, this is not an endorsement for Andrew Yang, but an encouragement to check out every candidate from both sides. Regardless of his success in the race, Yang has addressed a serious issue that has not been brought up by the current administration, the media, or any other candidate so far. I would encourage everyone to take a look at his platform, regardless of affiliation.
Being at George Washington University, it is quite easy to get sucked into other people's views. While having such a politically active campus is amazing, sometimes my views can easily become blurred with GW's. Although it was too early in the race for me to fully support a candidate, I highly recommend taking a look at Yang's platform, as he brought up issues that I would not have previously considered when submitting my ballot for the first time.
I do not know if I will be attending any more rallies, but I do know that I will be doing extensive research for every single candidate so that I can make an incredibly informed, confident decision when it is time to go to the polls.
My 10 Favorite YouTubers
They can all teach you something
I've fallen down into the rabbit hole that is YouTube. Lately, I've been finding the videos on YouTube much more entertaining than anything on Netflix or Hulu. There are so many videos out there about literally everything. Some of my favorite videos are murder mysteries or unsolved crime videos. But I also love watching movie commentaries or anything funny. If you like YouTube as much as I do, I highly recommend checking out these YouTubers.
1. Hailey Reese
Hailey is such a light in this world. Even though she talks about paranormal things which can oftentimes be scary, she always brings light and love to the video. Her videos are so informational and spooky. They're so fun to watch and interesting to think about. She is one of the soul siblings, and you will understand what I mean by that if you watch her channel. Also, you get to be a Reese's Peaces, what a cool name!
2. Kendall Rae
Kendall does a lot of different kinds of videos, but some of my favorite ones that she does are the True Crime videos. Many of the stories are sad or disturbing, but she does a fantastic job of being respectful of the families who lost a loved one as well as the person who is deceased. These stories really bring into perspective how messed up people in this world can be, but at the same time the beauty of our humanity and that there are good people in the world.
3. Dylan Is In Trouble
Ah, Dyan. Where to begin. He does a lot of movie commentaries. He has done commentaries on everything from kids movies, rom-coms, horror, and thriller. He apparently went to film school and so he actually analyzes the movies in a critical way. He always points out plot holes and cliches and makes it so entertaining to watch. He also shows the movie as he's watching it, so it's like you get to watch it without actually spending the hour and a half watching it. He's so entertaining to watch and makes me laugh every time, even if it's a serious movie. One of my favorite things is that he calls his followers "troublemakers" and as someone who rarely ever gets into trouble, I like it.
4. Jon Solo
If you're someone who loves Disney movies and fairytales, this channel is for you. Jon goes into the origin stories of various Disney movies, heroes, villains, and other fairytale creatures. It's amazing the amount of research he does in order to find and explain the origins of some of our favorite characters.
5. tiffanyferg
I'm a bit new to her channel, but she covers a range of topics that I think are very important. She talks about beauty standards, the college scandal, minimalism, mental health, and college struggles. As someone who is finishing college and still learning about myself, I really appreciate her analysis of these topics and the advice that she gives.
6. Brandi TV
Brandi is too funny. While I don't condone doing drugs, she does really funny "makeup" tutorials. I feel like I always cry from laughing so hard. One of my favorites is when she does a makeup tutorial for Ursula from the Little Mermaid. So funny. She is such a sweetheart and a pure soul.
7. Loey Lane
Loey is another light in this world. She talks about paranormal things, reads scary viral stories, body positivity, and her own personal experiences. Her makeup is always on point and brings so much light to sometimes dark topics. She is one of the soul siblings too!
8. The Try Guys
Do I even have to give an explanation for these guys? They try everything, and it's hilarious to watch them. My favorite series of theirs is when Keith eats everything on the menu from different fast food places. And they don't waste the food so that's a plus!
9. Alex Myers
Alex is another great YouTuber who does movie and Tv show commentaries, but he animates himself and his dog into the videos. It's very interesting to see, especially because sometimes he will talk about his own personal experiences and its very relatable. Also, his dog is super cute!
10. AndrewTMI
Last but not least, we have Andrew. I love how totally open and honest he is. He is very relatable and honestly hilarious. He is dramatic and that just makes his channel so entertaining. He is the last member of the soul siblings. When Hailey, Loey, and Andrew are together some real spooky stuff happens and it's some of the most entertaining videos to watch.
If you haven't heard of any of these YouTubers, please check them out. They are so great at entertaining and presenting facts. Even though I haven't met any of them, they all seem like really great, genuine people.