Why We Need To Talk About Politics | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Why We Need To Talk About Politics

And why nobody wants to.

3435
Why We Need To Talk About Politics
iammuseum.org

There’s an age-old saying: don’t talk about religion, or politics. But why not? I get it; talking about politics can be stressful. It causes conflict. And it’s especially terrible if you don’t know a lot about politics, or if you don’t particularly care.

But with the primaries just around the corner, we all need to start thinking – who are we voting for? Why are we voting for them? And if you’re one of those people who hates talking about politics, you’re not going to have a solid reason for your vote.

People who like to talk about politics tend to have strong convictions. Sure, that makes talking about the topic difficult. But that doesn’t mean you should completely avoid the topic altogether; it’s an important part of our society. So why shouldn’t we talk about it?

Politics is always a touchy subject. It’s the conversation topic that comes up at family dinners on Sunday evenings, always creeping up on you when you specifically don’t want it to. It tends to turn into a heated conversation between sides, usually ending up with someone being bitter when they’ve “lost.” And so that’s why people tend to steer clear of the conversation – no one wants to argue over dinner, anyways.

Bringing up a topic such as this tends to be seen as taboo – while we all know someone who’s very passionate about talking about politics, we never want to sit down with them and have a civil conversation. But the question is, why? Why don’t we want to? What about politics makes us want to run and hide?

Maybe it comes from the fact that we don’t want our world views threatened. We don’t want to hear someone else shut us down, or even just try to. But if we’re confident in our opinions, our outlooks – like so many of us claim to be – why do we even care? Maybe it’s because we’re happier talking about lighter topics, like when Kanye’s new album drops, or what Beyoncé wore to the Grammy’s.

Or maybe it lies in the fact that we don’t like to admit that the people we support aren’t necessarily perfect. We’re always ready to attack the opposition. But we’re never ready to hear about the flaws of the person we support. And when talking politics, especially when it’s with someone who doesn’t support the same candidate as yourself, it can be hard to listen and discuss rationally.

But the problem with not talking about it is the fact that it becomes the elephant in the room. Politics is an important part of our society; it affects all of us, whether or not we really think it does. Discussing politics is important in broadening horizons, cementing opinions, and understanding the reasoning for others’. It’s always good to know what’s going on in the world; there are is always something happening that could very well change our lives.

A person’s political views shape who they are. It molds their beliefs into specific views and ideologies. Politics is the study of governmental processes, but also accounts for human behaviors. Politics are important because they force us as people to analyze and think critically about how these factors affect our societies. If we’re not talking about politics, we become complacent, begin just accepting what’s thrown at us, instead of realizing that we can have a say in the matter or have an impact on our country.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

College Life: As Told By Bob's Burgers

If there's anyone who understand the struggles of college, it's the Belcher family

358
Bob's Burgers

College is a time of gaining independence, exploring new things, and copious amounts of Netflix. If you're like me, you often find yourself laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the situations you find yourself in. Here are ten times Bob's Burgers accurately captured college life.

1. What you're pretty sure your upstairs neighbors do at 3am every morning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Why Theater Kids Are the Greatest People Ever

Supportive and spontaneous human beings are the best.

269
Theater Kids

Throughout school, the theater department has always been my go-to place with go-to people when I need advice, a dance party, or just someone to listen to me vent.

You never know what's going to happen when you're dealing with theatre or what kind of characters you'll encounter. We have too much fun doing anything! One time in my senior year acting class, we spent an entire class period watching Bob's Burgers, and it was the greatest class period ever.

Keep Reading...Show less
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

7127
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments