I am a firm believer that most kids between the ages of 16 to 18 really have no idea what it means to vote.
Most of the time when kids think about voting, they think about voting for the homecoming king and queen or what their favorite color is.
But what about when it comes to elections? To the real world?
Do they really know what it means to make that kind of life altering choice? I don’t see it.
I would just like to point out that I don’t see this as a fault of our teens. I see it as a fault of our educational system.
Teachers do an excellent job of making students understand what a government is, what the differences are, and what all those definitions mean.
But no one really gets into what it means to be a Democrat or a Republican, or a Liberal or a Conservative.
Most of those things are not covered until a youth’s college years.
And what if they decide not to take this until they graduate?
How many important things would they have voted for, for their county or their nation?
Not to mention, how do they know whether to label themselves a Democrat or a Republican?
The more depressing part of this is some kids feel pressured to take on their family’s political views.
Most of the time that isn’t a problem when the parents and the kids see eye-to-eye on the an issue.
However, some students jump to the conclusion that they are a Liberal Democrat or a Conservative Republican before even knowing what that really means.
I feel that all teens should really know what they are getting into before they decide if they are ready to vote.
Youths should know all of the details before making their party choice.
Does that mean they have to stick with it forever?
No, this is America, where we have the freedom to change and vote for those whom we think are going to do the best job for us.
On that note, I would like to get into a conversation about how kids need to look past the commercials where the nominees take jabs at each other and look at the real data.
Does this candidate’s history show them as a good candidate? Why or why not?
Does this person know what they are taking about?
Better yet, do you agree with that person?
All of these questions and thoughts need to be voiced when thinking about walking into that room and filling out a ballot.
How can someone who knows nothing about the parties, the candidates and personas really know what to look for when picking a leader?
We must be willing to educate and talk openly about what it means to be a Democrat, Republican, Liberal, and Conservative.
Making sure everyone is on the same page is important when someone is thinking about going to vote.
Educating our youths on how to make choices is important not only for them, but for us as well.
What kind of society would we be if we didn’t know what we were voting for?
It would be the waste that our forefathers didn’t see coming.
Saturday, April 20, 2024
