In class this past week we talked a lot about different policies and how we put people into office that get to make and decide these policies. When asked about different policies, people always have different opinions on how that policy affects their lives and their "freedoms." My question with this issue is why are we not paying more attention to who we put in office and why are we not concerned about the policies they are creating and how they affect our lives? But also how do we decide which information is accurate when it comes to choosing to vote for one candidate over another?
Just recently I have come to understand how the process of registering and voting even works, but I still find myself with an overload of information on who to vote for and why one candidate should be better than all the rest. With so much information available it makes it hard to decipher what is the truth and what is based off someone's own political beliefs. I struggle with my own ideas of who should be put into office and what policies I agree with because often times what someone says before they take office completely changes when they are voted in. The challenge of finding accurate, unbiased information makes my head spin and often leads me to be more confused than when I first started my quest. I think the struggles I have are similar to those of many people my age. We are taught to be open-minded and to develop our own ideas, but at every moment we are hearing the ideas and opinions of others.
I would like to know you all's thoughts on processing all of the information we have access to and how you choose to form your own opinions and thoughts?
Do you also find it confusing or is there a simpler way of learning about the things going on around us?
I also find it hard to process all the information given to me. It's hard to have your own opinion when you are given an abundance of information about a certain candidate, and you all you hear in the media are opinions. I'm still trying to figure out how to effectively process all the information and come up with my own conclusions.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that it is a total information overload when trying to figure out which candidates support what. I think the biggest thing that I have to remind myself is to simply take in as much information as possible and not to be close minded. It is easy to hear one thing you agree with and immediately not listen to anything further. I think this is a huge reason that a lot of people decide to just not vote at all because they don't want to take the time to make a solid decision or to understand all parties. It is discouraging when it is easier to just not pay attention at all. That is why I am just trying my hardest to be open to all things and not judge every situation without seeing both sides. I think attempting to process all the information is just the best thing you can do because that is already more than most even bother to do sadly.
ReplyDeleteWe briefly discussed this last week and I've been thinking about it since then. I see bias as a huge part of the problem. It is so difficult to see the truth about issues and figure out what is actually happening. How do we know every news outlet is telling the truth? We don't. How are we supposed to figure out the meat of an issue when people want us to see something a certain way? With the Park Avenue film, we learned about the Koch brothers and how they manipulate government officials. These political figures preach about the good they will do in office only to fall into the hands of corrupt individuals with less than questionable morals. I also have a difficult time trying to fold through and process the information. It's tedious and frustrating. Additionally, I want to address this: "We are taught to be open-minded and to develop our own ideas, but at every moment we are hearing the ideas and opinions of others." This, I like a lot. I've felt like this for a while without knowing how to say it. We are in this weird age where we are expected to have our own fully developed opinions, but when it's different from what we are expected to believe, it's wrong and ignorant. I think, on a somewhat shallow level, that this is why young people shy away from politics. It's frustrating and a big headache. I'm in no way saying it's acceptable. That's just how it feels for me. It feels hopeless.
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