I have never been particularly interested in politics. Growing up, I have never felt that I needed to. I was under the impression that government was so much bigger than me, why would my voice matter? Sure, I learned about how our government works in secondary school. I wrote current events for my American Government classes, but I really did not care. At one point, I told a classmate in high school that I was learning about the government through the T.V. show 24, and she scoffed at me. I do not blame her; it was ignorant. I grew up in a wildly conservative family. I always felt that I had to agree with how my parents voted. I am sure that I am not the only person that could say that. I remember conversations where I would present a different argument to my parents about something political, and they told me I was wrong. Yes, they would soften the blow by acknowledging that people think differently, but at the end of the day an alternative perspective was wrong. Disengaging with the political spectrum was a fairly easy thing to do.
When I was in college and turned 18, suddenly politics seemed important because I could vote. It was the middle the Romney/Obama campaign and I did not know who to vote for! I had no idea how to figure out where I stood on the political spectrum. I did not know how to research. And, unfortunately, I was at BYU-Idaho, so you can imagine that 99% of the population wanted Mitt Romney to win. You can probably guess how I ended up voting: for Mitt Romney. I did no research. I did not know how. The task seemed so daunting. I had not been following politics my whole life, let alone the conservative party I apparently associated with. I felt that the research to figure out where I stood was just too great. So I listened to friends and family express all the reasons why Obama should not be in office and settled with voting for Mitt Romney.
Fast forward a few years to where we have an incredible election before us: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. I would argue that it is one of the most important elections we have ever had. It could have been the mark of the first female president or the mark of the first celebrity businessman president. Suddenly, understanding where I stood politically was extremely important. I couldn’t go a single day without hearing about either party, whether it was through social media platforms, with my classmates, or from family. Everyone was talking about it! I felt very lost as to how to base my vote. This was even before a lot of the dump came from Trump. Even during the campaign for who to nominate for both parties, I was at a loss. But, I was paying attention. And I started to realize issues that resonated with me and how I wanted our public sphere to operate. Voting for the right leader to align with my views was paramount. I was able to find ways to be informed by both political parties and make a solid, intellectual decision not based on my parents’ vote or the Mormon bubble I am STILL living in. God help me escape! Just kidding. Anyway, November 8th came and Donald Trump was elected president. The nation went crazy to say the least.
Fast forward a few years to where we have an incredible election before us: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. I would argue that it is one of the most important elections we have ever had. It could have been the mark of the first female president or the mark of the first celebrity businessman president. Suddenly, understanding where I stood politically was extremely important. I couldn’t go a single day without hearing about either party, whether it was through social media platforms, with my classmates, or from family. Everyone was talking about it! I felt very lost as to how to base my vote. This was even before a lot of the dump came from Trump. Even during the campaign for who to nominate for both parties, I was at a loss. But, I was paying attention. And I started to realize issues that resonated with me and how I wanted our public sphere to operate. Voting for the right leader to align with my views was paramount. I was able to find ways to be informed by both political parties and make a solid, intellectual decision not based on my parents’ vote or the Mormon bubble I am STILL living in. God help me escape! Just kidding. Anyway, November 8th came and Donald Trump was elected president. The nation went crazy to say the least.
I have decided to write about ten ways that someone who has not previously been engaged in politics can do so in order for them to more fully participate in activism. Considering that, I am reminded of an experience I had the day after the election results. Upset about the results, a classmate brought up how she had very strong points of view that she would often post on social media about, but she realized that she actually was not doing anything to perpetuate some of the changes that she wanted to see in local and national government. She was letting all of us know of a local town meeting where we could go and be involved in what is going on locally. I was really struck by that because she was taking ownership for actively engaging. Participating in such an active way can bring about social and political change. Even people who do know where they stand politically might not actually be engaging much in the public sphere. Posting and trolling on Facebook does not always cut it. That experience is has really helped me to determine writing about this issue.
In conclusion, I find it crucial to know where you stand politically with where our government is right now. Now more than ever we need to be active in politics. That word seems to push people away. Politics are messy, but we have to be informed and involved. Many are disappointed with the election results and I wonder if things would have turned out differently if more people knew where they stood even prior to the candidate nominations. Having gone through an experience where I was very naïve politically and then discovered where I stood, I think it is an exciting task for people to try to figure out for themselves. The more we feel grounded in our political point of view, we can find ways to participate in activism so that we can make changes that America needs to see happen.
Madelyn Powell is a senior at Utah Valley University graduating in English with an emphasis in Writing Studies. She is currently on staff of the undergraduate journal of literary and cultural criticism, Essais. She loves the study of language, specifically poststructuralism, and has interest in graduate school. She loves life and learning!