A Crash Course in Politics

The Democratic National Convention has been a great chance for political aficionados to convene and share their opinions, but it has also been a powerful opportunity for those “less informed”, such as myself, to explore their own political beliefs. Politics has never been my cup of tea, and it has always seemed like such a daunting task to dive in and start sifting through all the different policies and plans to find out which candidates to support. For a long time, my only political knowledge came exclusively from the esteemed duo of Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert, but with the DNC in Charlotte I decided to broaden my horizons.

Instead of settling for Comedy Central’s take on the issues of the day, I found myself watching and attending various speeches and panels in order to educate myself on how important this election really is. I began to ponder issues I had formerly turned a blind eye towards, such as marriage inequality, Obamacare, and education. Living at the center of the political world for these past few days has been a crash course in formulating my own political views, but I encourage anyone reading this to take a little time out of your day to search for your own political identity. If that means researching  how politicians approach the important issues in your life or simply making time to watch the news before seeing how Mr. Colbert can turn it into a farce, it really does matter. After all, it’s our duty as a citizen of any country to have a say in the political process. It’s our duty to elect leaders who best represent the ideals of the country, not just the people willing to take a stand and vote. The great thing about this nation is that everybody’s voice makes a difference, so I encourage you to make yours heard this election season.