Although the 2016 election is a stressful and fearsome subject to talk or think about, it is extremely important for your future. Yes, the candidates are less than unsatisfactory, and their plans resemble jokes, yet once you grow into an adult with your own house, trying to get a well paying job or a sufficient college education, and one day maybe your own family, it will definitely matter then.

Unfortunately, most teens today have no interest whatsoever in politics. They couldn't care less about what happens. Less than a third of young people express interest in politics, according to an official survey. As a teenager, you could have a lot of activities in your life that may seem more important such as a job, extra curricular activities, romantic and casual relationships, college, etc., but in order to be able to do all of the things you like to do, isn't the government/politics a huge contributor in that?

Even if it's local politics, it is still important to be aware and educated on what is happening in our world today, and be concerned with who will be leading your town, state, and country. The teens who do choose to be involved with politics are changing our world every day. The "liberals," which only make up 21 percent of the younger generation who are interested in politics (a fifth), are the ones standing up and making a change. Scarily enough, though, the other 79 percent of the teenage population admit that they're political views come almost directly from what they hear from their parents. They have no actual reason to believe what they believe other than it's what their parents tell them is right.

In this generation, it is crucial to be a part of politics. Many young people are very frustrated with the election, as they feel they do not have a fair choice between candidates. Therefore, we think voting does not matter, and that our votes will be thrown away anyway, which is not the case at all. Not voting is pretty much just giving your vote away to whoever. It is important to express your opinion on who you think would be best for our country. After all, this is where you live and who you chose has some say in what happens in our country.

We also need to be aware of all of the distractions that come along as a way of covering up some mistake in the country that has been made. This is called "feeding frenzy," and is used by media to excite citizens with scandals and irrelevant controversial stories while distracting them from events going on in the real world. A great example would be the controversial stories of the Confederate Flag being labeled as a racial symbol. Many people were obsessed over this while behind the curtain, terrible, important, big, things were happening in this world. At that time,The Taliban launched a daring attack on the Afghan parliament in Kabul while it was in session. Also, on June 23, Wikileaks released NSA documents implicating the agency in spying on France—specifically current and former French presidents and members of the French cabinet. These are just a couple of events that occurred while everyone obsessed over a flag.

In today's media, sitting or kneeling for the National Anthem has become the new "feeding frenzy" topic, and has done an unfortunately good job of distracting the American population.

The moral is, it does not matter how you feel about politics, or if you agree with what is said on television and on the debate. If you want change, it will not just be handed to you. You must contribute to what you would like to see happen. Your vote is worth it. Do not give your vote away to whoever is most popular. Do not ignore what is happening in the world today. You need to get your voice out there and help change America. As soon as you are 18, register to vote, and don't just sit and watch the world burn.

Sources:

http://www.conspiracyclub.co/2015/06/25/10-stories...

http://www.gallup.com/poll/14515/teens-stay-true-p...