Honestly. Since when do I stay awake until 11 PM, watching post-debate commentary? I’m not sure when I started to embrace my inner nerd, but apparently I have.
This election has been a very tumultuous one, and while I do not want to use this post to endorse a certain candidate, I do want to take the time out to stress the importance of getting involved. I’ve never been so informed in an election before (I must say I’m pretty proud of myself), and it feels good. I’m reading articles, watching debates, and visiting the candidates’ websites. I’ll be the first to admit that I cannot WAIT until this craziness comes to an end, but in the meantime, I refuse to live in ignorance.
So, I hope you’ve been educating yourself as well. I’m pretty set on who I will be voting for November 4th but if you’re not set on a certain candidate, you should at least be thinking about it. But even more than that, you should know why you’re voting for a specific candidate. This can be so much more than voting a new president; it can be a learning experience about what’s going on in the world and where you stand in the midst of it all.
No one expects you to be a nerd and watch post-debate commentary, but there are plenty of other ways to familiarize yourself with the issues. Do a Google search for “Who Should I Vote For?” quizzes and take a personal inventory. Ask your family and friends about their thoughts (but be ready to be respectful and to “agree to disagree”). Even magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Seventeen feature articles about the election, giving you concise bullet-point summaries of each candidate. Sure it’s not the New York Times, but everyone’s got to start somewhere, right?
As we enter the final week and a half of this election, the more you educate yourself, the more you’ll understand during episodes of Saturday Night Live, the more intelligent you’ll seem during talks around the water cooler, and most importantly, the more you’ll learn about yourself. So what’re you waiting for? You better start learning!
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4 comments:
I've been hearing a lot about what Al Gore is doing for the environment, so I think I will be voting for him this year... :)
You're not a nerd, you're just concerned of your future. Voting is not simply a right, it's your duty to yourself. Be thankful that you can still vote. There are countries out there that don't hold elections. Good luck and I hope you vote wisely.
Personally, or at least for what I can remember. This election has been overly publicized. We've had no choice but to stay up and watch it. ( Even though I secretly enjoy it, I feel like a grown up lol ).
Amen. I have heard people discussing why they are voting for so and so and not realy known why. And I have heard people talking this way about both candidates. While it makes me happy that my favorite will be getting anoher vote, I would prefer people know why their casting it.
xoxo
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