Does it Really Matter? by Breanna

Does it Really Matter? by Breanna - September 2022 Scholarship Essay

From the range of ages, ten through seventeen, they tend to show no interest in politics. To be more specific, from a political standpoint people do not show interest in voting. Most are unaware that politics and voting are more impactful on their personal lives than they think. At first, I personally did not like politics or understand why voting was so important. To most of our population, it seems like they are boring, aggravating, pointless, and fruitless. This leads me to say that I would tell my past self that voting is more powerful than it seems, also gaining more personal freedom, and trying to learn how not to be fooled or persuaded in the wrong way.
Way too many people tend to think they are powerless when it comes to policies, politics, and voting; thinking and saying, “I’m just one person, what can I do?” We are individually made to feel weak and unimportant when casting a vote or being a part of this area of the topic, but is that really true? Politics are an overview of what we are going to be facing in the future. Whether it is today, tomorrow, or ten years from now, it will affect your life. Even a small part of politics can determine many future factors: how high taxes increase, the government's spending affects the rise and fall of inflation and the amount of money that can actually be held onto for your personal savings. Being educated on the specific matter is most important and everyone’s vote matters, even though it may not seem like it.
A huge thing is your freedom. When lacking education in politics, then continuing to vote blindly, can create consequences for your future. For example on the educational level, schools lock down students and force medical treatments. It got to a point where it went all the way up to DC where they enacted unconstitutional measures. In a way, politics are used as a foundation for human rights and continue to set the essentials for morality and ethics. Educating yourself and understanding the political issue you stand with, can help make you feel like you're engaged, important, and have a voice, while fully understanding your rights. Along with this, it can create communities with people that hold the same opinions and ideas over the government. The communities can hold support, and encouragement, influence a change and create impactful interactions.
The news, social media, Youtube, newspapers, Google, ads, and magazines are giant political platforms; these platforms can be used in either good or bad ways, publicly. Political posts or displays can influence the way that people think and behave. How this is done through public sentiment and attitudes towards whatever is being shown, whether they agree or disagree with it. They use these platforms to manipulate anyone including uneducated voters. The media will continue to repeat that the candidate they do not like is racist, crazy or whatever they may say; even though the things they say may not be true at all. This will cause the non-caring, uninformed voters to be influenced to believe the post, causing a change in their vote. Even if the political person they vote for is going to do everything that the voter disagrees with, they are still tricked into changing their vote. This could be a problem if you were voting just to vote or for the wrong reasons. Another way they can get tricked is by an opinionated social media post, against a specific political candidate or party. This leads to understanding why we need to learn about the “politics do’s and don’ts” in earlier ages.
So, the advice I would tell my past self would be to fully understand the impact, freedom, and manipulation of politics and voting. Even if it may not seem like it, being a little part of voting is important in creating an agreeable community and Nation. Everyone who lives here is lucky to have the freedom to choose what you want your daily life to look like with many opportunities: morals, a voice, communities with the same motives, and more. Unfortunately having the freedom to do this, and being uneducated about political topics can come with manipulation or trickery, messing with your morals or ethics. This is why I would tell my past self to make use of my freedom and understand what I can do to help my community and Nation thrive.