Be honest. You've seen it. That one friend who couldn't graduate high school sharing an article about Syrian refugees. That one uncle who wholeheartedly agrees that we need to "make America great again." Maybe even that girl from your Econ class sharing a video about "feeling the Bern." It's great that everyone who seemed so apathetic towards politics has become suddenly so interested!
Or is it?
What makes me really nervous about the sudden explosion in political interest is how completely superficial it is. When you log onto Facebook and see Friend A talking about how Ted Cruz is best because he is moderate or Friend B saying that Hillary Clinton is the only candidate fit for office because she's the only one with real Washington experience running, most of these arguments are made based on information gathered from a headline on Yahoo or the title of a CNN article.
"Supporters" of both Republican and Democratic candidates are so blissfully uninformed that trying to have even the simplest conversation with someone about the 2016 election turns into a game of either "I want Donald Trump because I'm sick of liberals being racist and using welfare to their advantage" or "Bernie Sanders should be president because I want to go to college for free." There are so many different aspects to each party, and each candidate within their respective party, that simply clumping them all together doesn't make sense, but the average American is so uninformed that they do just that. This leads to polarization and voting strictly based on political affiliation, which in the end causes much of gridlock that hampers the Democratic process.
And please, if you're going to share something on Facebook or Twitter, can you do just a minimal Google search of what you're sharing before you permanently share that with the world? I mean seriously, if President Obama was instituting Sharia law, or if Donald Trump had given an interview in which he claims that Republican voters are "the stupidest people alive" you would've heard about much earlier and from a much more reputable source than some page on Facebook.
As Mark Twain so eloquently put it, "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."
The only thing more dangerous than talking about a subject you don't know that well is sharing information that is baseless and untrue.
In closing, the 2016 Presidential election is sure to be a turning point in 21st century America. Many different candidates seem willing and able to step up to the task of being the Leader of the Free World. My only request of you reading this is that before election time comes, you read up on these candidates, become well acquainted with their platforms, and don't allow outside influences (i.e. political affiliation and your parents) to cast your vote for you. I may have different views and may not see eye-to-eye with how everyone else votes, but I can respect someone who makes their choices based off of fact and thorough research. I can't say I share that same regard for someone who doesn't.
