Election Day is one of the most stress-inducing days of the year, especially if you go to George Washington University, one of the most politically-charged college campuses in the United States. However, it's especially more stressful when coupled with the swarm of uninformed, non-voting, and unnecessarily opinionated people ready to debate about politics with people who actually care about their country.
Being from Florida, this election was especially important to me because it gave me the opportunity to be proud of my state for once, as the infamous "Florida man" headlines and a plethora of weird bugs are nothing to brag about.
But alas, Andrew Gillum, the man I spent my summer phone banking and attending rallies for, didn't win despite putting up a noble fight against, dare I say it, Ron DeSantis. Regardless of the heartbreak I experienced after anxiously refreshing Politico on my phone for hours on end, immediately after the race was called in favor of DeSantis, I had to defend the candidate I had spent all of my time fighting for once again against a band of self-proclaimed "Devil's Advocates."
While immersed in the midst of this debate, one member of the trio admitted that neither he nor his gang of uninformed citizens, voted; in fact, he went on to add that neither of them actually care about politics because "it's all the same."
The audacity.
Treating politics as a spectator sport, not voting, and overall political apathy is the height of privilege. Regardless of your political affiliation, dismissing politics as nothing more than a mere conversation topic or point of contention shows your blatant disregard for issues that don't directly impact you. I'm glad that your existence has not been politicized to a point that forces you to care, but I remain utterly disgusted at the fact that people can have such a lack of empathy.
The same goes for those Facebook warriors who angrily rant about their feeds being clogged with political discourse. While your study break may be bombarded with news that has nothing to do with you, the lives of women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and minorities in general and constantly inundated with legislation that constantly regulates their very existence. I understand that every person is not a political junkie, but your feed and our lives are incomparable.
If you have the means to vote, please be cognizant of your privilege in choosing not to and don't berate the opinions of people actually care enough to show up to the polls.
