This week was election day and no matter where you went you were bombarded with a push to vote and pleads to vote for one side or another. Whether it was in person, on social media or on the news, people left, and right was talking about the political future of the United States. I live on a college campus, and everywhere I looked, people were wearing them "I Voted" stickers and were discussing candidates and the house and senate. There was an uncanny invigoration about politics and the power us millennials/gen x/gen z kids have. As much as this made me proud, it dawned on me that this attitude and excitement is an incredibly rare thing to see.
On any other day of the year, people whether it be actively or passively tend to avoid conversations about politics. For the passive avoiding, it usually is just characterized by people not even having politics in their radar. They are focusing on work or friends or homework, and something like politics, which usually seems so far away, usually doesn't come up. The active avoiding usually just is manifested by people avoiding having any type of political conversation whether it is in the classroom or with friends. It is usually justified by the idea of maintaining a safe classroom environment or not wanting to step on people's toes.
While political conversations and debates can be uncomfortable, that does not mean that they should be avoided. These conversations are incredibly important because they help people not only better shape and understand their own beliefs, but also it allows people to see what the other side thinks. It allows for there to be an opportunity for the gap and distance between political ideas and groups to get smaller because people better understand others. The idea of "us versus them " becomes blurred when people can't hide behind ignorance, and actually know the facts behind people's decisions.
Now obviously having conversations about politics will not entirely change your perspective, but it does allow for it to become less emotional and stereotypical. It gives people an opportunity to learn more about politics and become more engaged with it on a day to day, rather than just on election day. If people spend more time learning about politicians and politics, they will be able to make better and more educated decisions in the polls.
So how about we all get political, every day, rather than just on election day...
