Everyone knows I don't like talking politics. While I have my opinions, and I do care about the issues and candidates, I just hate the act everyone puts on when discussing government. Suddenly we're all political science aficionados, meanwhile most of us can't identify the party whip. Or define it for that matter.
I'm the first to admit whatever political stance I take, I take it with a grain of salt. I'm ready to discuss, debate and deliberate. I don't know all the facts. Some times I don't know any.
But the problem with politics is no one else seems humble enough to do that. We all sit on our high horses and parade around our beliefs like nothing. Or better yet, like everything. Because no one will take a moment to listen to another point of view.
When presidential campaigns started to really heat up this past fall, I opened up to discussing politics more frequently. I figured it's the least I can do considering this will be my first voting election. In the beginning, my friends and family were more amiable about discussing the issues. We pondered at who would win Super Tuesday. We nodded our heads in deep thought during debate nights. We laughed at some candidates who we thought would blow over. Some did, some didn't.
Now, when I sit down with some of the people closest to me, I just want to run back and hide. This election is terrifying me.
The open communication that once was is long gone. Our comments mean more, yet our votes mean "less." "It's decided," people say, when really, it should have only just begun. Riots are on the news, and debates are a circus. Everyone's mind seems to be made up, yet there is still so much time. So many issues. And they just keep mounting in importance.
Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's just the fact that I am a 20 year old girl and my world seems to be on a brink. Because this next election, will have my say. This next election, will shape my future. The future which I now have increasing control over. This election will mean something for my children.
Maybe I'm being dramatic. But when I hear statistics that the ocean will be gone of fish in 2050, that worries me. When my friends are getting assaulted on college campuses and no one is doing anything, that worries me. When affordable housing seems more of a privilege than a right, that worries me. When my food is been engineered, patented, and sold without proper testing, that worries me. The thought of a candidate that doesn't even talk about these issues, at the very least, worries me.
Here's the thing- I'm a firm believer it all works out. Whoever gets elected will most likely face a stubborn group on capitol hill, and not pass or bar any legislation (good or bad) that will shatter our world as we know it.
Most likely.
People before me have been 20 and scared. People before me have turned out just fine. I have faith. I just hope I feel the same way come November.
