Every adult likes to claim that they are knowledgeable in politics, but are any of us really? Especially as a young adult, you are always being pressured to “vote” and not be ignorant of politics. Societal expectations assume that my generation, and the generation of my fellow Saint John’s students, is too self-consumed and technology interconnected to give thought to such things like politics and legislature. Most people who claim they know legislature and politics tend to showcase their “knowledge” in regards to our nation’s presidential elections. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center in the District of Columbia, only 57.5 percent of eligible voters came out for the presidential race in 2012, while the Center for Voting and Democracy states while about 60% of the voter population casts ballots during presidential election years, only 40 percent of voters turn out in non- presidential election years. This evidence leads to the conclusion that American citizens center their legislative knowledge base on the “big” events and elections. But how am I, or is anyone else, expected to be knowledgeable enough in politics and legislature to cast a vote when government-related news is biased in its presentation and portrayed to us through its different media.
How do I formulate my own opinions if I’m always being spoon-fed information from the point-of-view of somebody else? How do I concern myself with or vote on anything, if I’m not even aware of how my state legislature functions on its most fundamental level? I highly doubt that anyone in my age demographic can confidently state who is currently sitting in office for the state of New York, let alone their own home state. Part of the reason why we don’t know this information is because it is never publicized in the media with the same fervor as the presidential election process, political controversy, and scandal. The second reason why we don’t know this information is because most of us do not actively seek this knowledge out.
Our generation should personally want to remove this “ignorant, self- centered youth” stigma and learn the more about local legislature and whatever it might entail, first-hand, free of bias and outside influence. Starting small and learning about more local government can prepare us in better understanding our nation’s legislative structure on a larger scale.
As someone of voting age, it’s time that I cared enough to start developing my knowledge of legislature and my own opinions regarding it. Most people do not concern themselves with the inner workings of “legislature”- the word brings to mind laws, bills, money spent, political parties and voting. There must be more to it than that. One cannot understand legislature on a national level whilst being unaware of it on the level closest in proximity to them.
As a young university female and Latina, it is extremely important to expose myself in a positive way to the legislative world. Getting involved on a local level could potentially be the jumping platform for minorities in multiple respects. My generation of Latinos needs to make its presence known. If we don’t participate in politics now when we’re young, because we might know so little about legislation, because this is out of our comfort zone, or we want to be scared or make excuses as to not expose our ignorance, then we are not allowing ourselves to grow academically, culturally or in terms of possible future career choices. We need to have the courage to put ourselves in the middle of the action.
Being familiar with the basics of politics will help us all--young, old, student, employed, minority or otherwise--in being informed on where our legislative structures do well and where they falter. Making connections with the most “accessible” of our nation’s politicians is a great way to develop personal relations and a means for advocacy as we discover what is important to each of us as voters. By experiencing politics of our own volition, we are able to formulate opinions that are unbiased by the media and founded on our personal knowledge of them, as well as upon understanding of our own individual needs in the guise of how they affect our communities.
So meet a local congressman, go intern for someone, look long and hard for stories highlighting the "less popular" side of politics. Read and watch from various news sources, not just the ones you agree with.
Go, be free, and establish a new political awareness!
