Politics is one of the most important influences on daily life. Where students could once remain unaware of political developments, staying informed is now vital.
It is undeniable that attending Laguna Blanca is a privilege in and of itself. We have access to not only necessities but also freedoms, so perhaps some students wonder: Why should we fight for those who don’t?
The fact that our privilege may give us freedom from being personally affected by certain political issues does not mean we should be exempt from caring about them.
Today, complete neutrality in a political context is impossible. All humans have implicit biases stemming from their upbringing, the opinions of those who raised them, and other environmental factors.
These biases inevitably bleed into our opinions.
According to USC Today, the polarization of modern politics is “at its worst since the Civil War.”
Issues that have the potential to impact not only the privileges but also the lives and rights of American citizens, such as gun control, abortion rights, and immigration, are strongly and constantly debated, and staying neutral becomes an invalid option when lives are at stake.
Political neutrality typically ends up supporting whoever holds political power, whether or not that is the neutral party’s intention, and remaining silent as events unfold that can impact the lives, rights, and liberties of our fellow human beings is nothing to be proud of.
When citizens do not participate in political discussions, decision-making power is almost entirely given to the most powerful members of society, such as ultra-wealthy CEOs and high-ranking political officials.
Additionally, for one to say they don’t have an opinion on these topics implies that they either don’t care about the outcome of the laws that end up passing or are simply unaware of them.
When one doesn’t care about the laws passed on these topics, it implies they don’t care about the people these laws will affect.
Your voice is the most important thing you have, and using it is a privilege.
As Laguna Blanca students, we have numerous opportunities to use our voices for good, and wasting them is a sign of both ignorance and carelessness.
The freedom of speech of Americans is protected by the First Amendment, and some people seem to fail to realize the importance of not only having but also exercising this right to its full potential.
Not all people have the tools or opportunities necessary to express their thoughts and viewpoints, which is exactly why it is so vital that those who do have the means necessary to speak use them.
Using our voices is more than just a privilege—it is a responsibility. We must speak up for those who are unable to do so.
Ignorance can be blissful, sure, but it becomes a problem when it becomes a conscious choice. There’s a big difference between being ignorant on account of not looking into certain topics and being ignorant as a result of intentionally turning a blind eye to the current state of the world.
Avoiding socio-political issues inevitably leads to being unaware of harmful practices and implicit biases—whether they’re your own, or others’.
This is exactly why political avoidance is dangerous. In an article published in Psychology Today titled “Understanding the Roots of Intolerance,” Ilene Strauss Cohen wrote, “Hate can come from a place of ignorance and lack of exposure to different cultures, beliefs, and ways of life.”
If hate can grow from ignorance, then being uninformed politically is not, in fact, harmless. Hate is, and always has been, a primary factor perpetuating the prejudice and cruelty that is becoming increasingly common in modern society.
Being politically aware may be upsetting at times, whereas political avoidance perpetuates and enables systemic cruelty and abuse. There is clearly a better option of the two.
There is a common belief that politics is a topic reserved for adults—a belief that is absolutely not true. Politics directly impacts teenagers, both in and out of a school setting. The future of America is ours to shape, and staying informed provides us with the knowledge necessary to make the United States of America and the rest of the world safer overall.
Not completely understanding politics as a teenager is fine, but to say that caring about politics is neither necessary nor worth thinking about is entirely different.
Humans fear change. Change, however, is necessary and inevitable. Without it, we cannot grow.
