Skip to main content

Voting

With the highly anticipated midterm elections coming up, I went to vote for the first time now that I'm legally allowed to. Since I voted early, I didn't expect too many people at the polling place; but I was wrong. There had to have been at least 50 people, all over 65 years old, waiting in line. It was a little frustrating considering I wanted to be in and out in a few minutes. The poll workers were genuinely shocked to see someone who couldn't pass as a grandpa in there, and I myself was equally surprised to see that I was the only young guy voting. The direction of our country and the policy that shapes it is very important, and I think it's crucial that young people take part in one of our most important civic duties as Americans and vote, no matter where you are on the spectrum. 

   Many of my friends say they don't really care enough about "politics" to vote or be engaged in the national conversation focusing on many pressing issues facing the country we all live in. The point I try to stress is that we all should care, because sooner than later, many of us will be looking for a high paying job, paying taxes, buying a home, and starting a family. Very quickly, the life you aspire to live becomes dependent on a strong, healthy economy. Who more or less dictates economic policy? The politicians we elect to office. There's often this misconception among young people that "all sides are bad" or "my vote won't matter" but that couldn't be further from the truth. If you hate both the Republicans and the Democrats, find a party or candidate that aligns with your beliefs, because there's more than just two options. I strongly encourage people my age to vote because this country belongs to us too, and it's rewarding to feel that in this democracy we have the power to dictate policy decisions that can make a significant difference.

Fed up with soaring gas prices? Vote. Angry over the Dobbs abortion decision? Vote. Want the second amendment protected? Vote. Believe there should be enhanced gun control laws? Vote. Care about climate change? Vote. Want to cut property taxes? Vote. Regardless of what you believe is important or where you stand, vote. We the people are the bosses, not the other way around. 






Comments

  1. Andy PhamNovember 13, 2022 at 8:15 PM

    I was thinking about going to vote but ultimately decided not to. I had all my classes on that exact day and I think that my political views wouldn't really matter in a primarily democratic state.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don't Hate on Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving truly is one of the greatest holidays, and I honestly don't care what anyone else says. But since I'm writing this, obviously I do. Far too many people dump on Thanksgiving for whatever reasons they have ("the food is gross") but many times when pressed on why they dislike it, they struggle to come up with an answer. Keep in mind these are largely the same people who consider you immoral if you utter anything negative about Halloween, which is overrated by the way. Thanksgiving is unique and happens once a year, so let's all just enjoy it. I will concede and admit I understand the perspective that the food isn't the greatest (I still disagree) since I'm a picky eater, but we really only have an excuse to stuff our faces with turkey, potatoes, mac n cheese, ham, and desserts once a year. Can you think of another holiday when it's acceptable to consume that much food? No! And if you don't like the food and it's an issue, by all mean...
1 comment
Read more

Doc Project

Whether I watch a movie, TV show, or documentary, I never really paid close attention to the cinematic elements that make up a film. After sitting down and digesting my documentary of choice for this project,  Cartel Land,  I found that devices such as sound or music greatly contribute to making a film enjoyable to watch that keeps you thinking afterwards.           I went back and rewatched a couple scenes from Cartel Land for analytical purposes with a strong focus on the filmmaker's choices of music. There were two scenes in particular in which music played an instrumental role in forming how the audience should view certain people. One scene used upbeat, triumphant music while Dr. Morales, the leader of the Autodefensas (armed citizenry) gave a speech in a town square in front of the local people. Without music during this scene, the audience would likely have had to come up with their own interpretation of Morales' character. Similarly, when ...
1 comment
Read more

Cartel Land

       For this project, I decided to watch Cartel Land directed by Matthew Heineman, which covers different vigilante groups fighting in Mexico and along the border as a violent drug war rages on in Mexico. One particular scene that shook me to the core was when a young woman started sobbing listing 13 names, ages ranging from 40 to 6 months, as men dug a mass grave. The names she was listing were members of her family who worked at a lime farm. The owner of the lime farm had been doing business with the cartel, and when the owner did not have his payment on time, the cartel brutally killed his workers as revenge. As people scream and sob in the background, the woman described how the infants were smashed into rocks by the legs and then tossed into a well like trash. Others were cut into pieces and beheaded. I almost had to mute the TV as she was describing the slaughtering. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. That's all I could say.     ...
2 comments
Read more