Are your political views "private"?

I was listening to the radio on my way to class last week and the radio personalities stuck up a discussion that made my "righteous mind" begin to wonder...

The DJs were discussing the on-going primary elections, and in the midst of outlining issues stated by each candidate in their respective campaigns, stumbled upon the issue of whether it is appropriate to discuss or share one's political affiliations and views. Specifically, one DJ declined to state an opinion with regard to the social issues addressed by the candidates because she said, among other things, that she feels such beliefs are private.

Now, I can see how, as a radio personality, expressing one's political affiliations on-air may be somewhat inappropriate, but too many people feel the same way... and I think that's a problem. Our generation--that is young adults--don't discuss the important political issues enough!

I believe this way of thinking is based on the idea that each individual should have the opportunity to come to their own conclusions about important social issues that prevade politics without being unduely influenced by the opinions of their peers or superiors. And that is a premise that I agree with. But I also believe that we need to discuss important social issues in order to be better informed and make BETTER POLITICAL DECISIONS.


Plus, people usually talk about things that are important to them. I think the lack of dialogue among our generation with regard to social and political issues has rendered such issues unimportant to too many of us. While we have turned out in record numbers to support candidates in the current presidential campaign, this turn out has been the exception instead of the rule. The lack of conversation about affordable health care, the economy, sufficient education and educational facilities, and international relations leaves a large portion of our peers uninformed and oblivious to the fact that OTHER PEOPLE ARE DECIDING OUR FUTURE.

Beliefs about political issues may be personal--and by that, I mean held close to one's heart and reflective of one's life experiences and perspectives--but they shouldn't be private--and by that I mean concealed from others. Of course, there are appropriate (and inappropriate) venues to discuss such beliefs, and maybe such beliefs shouldn't be discussed with EVERYONE you know. But at the same time, if we remain silent, issues that are important for the success of our generation will continue to be over-looked by our peers.

So, with that said, I hope everyone reading this will take some time to figure out what issues are important to them and where they stand with regard to those issues and the current presidential campaign. But I ask that you don't stop there--ask some of your friends what they think? Strike up a dialogue. Generate an opinion, then do something with it. It's no longer ok for us to remain apathetic. And keeping your opinions on these important issues to yourself is only breeding apathy.

Think about it like this--during the next presidency many of us who are in college will graduate and come into the "real world", start families and have SERIOUS income taxes, and need health care (among other important issues). If we start discussing these issues amongst ourselves now, we are more likely to make an informed decision about who to vote for, and thus more likely to have our needs met.