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Independence is everything
Exercising our individual rights as voters
By Craig Wiroll
One thing we need to do is get all of the political party stereotypes and talking-head malarkey out of our heads so we can form our opinions withclear minds.
There was a time when we accepted everything our parents told us as fact. They were all-knowing and always right. Now that we are in college, we are a bit more hesitant to feel this way about our parent's opinions. Yet, many of us still decide to vote for the same political party or candidates our parents supported.
As college students, we hold a very important political voice. In this extremely important United States election, we have extremely difficult decisions to make. This presidential election will be the first time many of us will be able to vote in the general election. The person we elect to represent our values and opinions will stay with us until 2013, so the research we put into finding the best fit for ourselves becomes vital.
It is especially common for us as college students to be confused or unsure of the individuals we choose to represent us. We form political opinions based on life experiences, and, truth be told, most of us are still “a work in progress.” This is not to say that college students are ignorant or uninformed; our opinions on life just tend to be a lot more fluid than that of a 65-year-old homeless veteran or a multi-millionaire oil tycoon.
One thing we need to do is get all of the political party stereotypes and talking-head malarkey out of our heads so we can form our opinions with clear minds. They will tell you that Republicans let the rich get richer and Democrats hate babies, but in the end the candidate is not a party. He is a person like you and me.
Obviously the way we were raised plays some role in our political opinion as adults. The
most important thing we owe ourselves, however, is to think independently. Voting for a candidate solely because "my parents are" is not a good reason whatsoever.
Although our parents or peers might not agree with our preferred candidate, that
doesn't mean our relationship with them has to suffer.
As college students, we have different priorities and opinions on life than our parents. This is not to say that we should purposefully disagree with our parents' political views simply because they belong to our parents. Yet college is a time to blossom as a free thinker and we should utilize this time.
If revealing who you are voting for to your friends and family results in disgust or disagreement, but you did truly pick the candidate you feel can best help the United States of America move forward, then stick to your guns. Appreciate the roads that have
led you to this point, and realize at the same time that now is the moment for you to take over the reins. The great thing about America is that we all come into the world with a clean slate of equal rights. None of us have a pre-determined religious or political assignment, and we are allowed to decide our own faith and choose our owndestiny.
Remember, too, that the most important step in your decision-making is to execute your decision in the end, so no matter what your viewpoint, get to the polls this Nov. 4th and exercise your voting right.
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