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Politics and Me
"I was so used to not caring, to my friends not caring, that I was shocked to find teens my age volunteering at various candidates’ headquarters."
By Libby Donovan
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Many adults claim that teenagers are too young to understand politics. Youth Blunt Radio’s Libby Donovan thinks it’s not they are too young, but they flat out just don’t care. In this commentary, she explains the formation of her political identity.
I have never cared about politics. To be honest my friends and I couldn’t fill a thimble with our combined political knowledge. When the president comes on the TV, I often sigh and say “auughh the president is talking again!” I actually get up and change the channel to anything else. I avoid anything beyond the most basic political knowledge. And heaven forbid I bring up something other that “Barack Obama is hot” at the lunch table.
So when I got the opportunity to cover the New Hampshire primaries as a first-time political reporter, I thought to myself: only if there’s an empty spot. To my surprise, there was. So I was off to be surrounded by people who were passionate about politics to an extent that I couldn’t even imagine. I felt like it was my responsibility to brush up on the candidates and the issues, especially since I’m going to be 18 for this presidential election. The more I prepared for the assignment, the more I realized I knew nothing. I even made political flash cards with photos of each candidate, their name, party, and basic stats on the back.
I was so used to not caring, to my friends not caring, that I was shocked to find teens my age volunteering at various candidates’ headquarters. they were making phone calls to get people to the polls, and campaigning on the streets for their favorite presidential hopeful.
Covering the New Hampshire primary opened my eyes to the world of politics and made me feel like maybe it isn't soooo bad after all. Now, I think that I could at least fill a tea cup with my political knowledge…at least enough to make an educated and informed vote in the general election.
I’m not saying that political campaigns aren’t still pretty boring and I personally think that they could improve in the youth appeal department. (My suggestion: have Ryan Seacrest host the presidential debates, then people would watch). All in all I’m proud of myself for knowing more about what’s happening, and the next time the president comes on THE TV, I may listen for a little while.
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