It was the first week of August, 1974. Richard Nixon sulked back and forth across the floor of the Oval Office. The weight of an entire nation’s anger was grounded on his shoulders. A week later he would be the first president in American history to resign from office, flying back to California in embarrassment. Of course, this was a result of Watergate, arguably the biggest scandal and cover up this nation has encountered. The American people caught on to Nixon’s deceit and sent him out of office, which was a major victory for democracy.
We, the people, have the power to run the United States. The origin of the USA was ideologically based on giving power to everyone to craft their future collectively. Our brand is freedom. We are proud of the freedom to vote and speak our minds as a sovereign nation. We wave our flags on the fourth of July and sing patriotic songs with our fellow nationalists and eat cheap hot dogs to celebrate our country. This cultural trend leaves a bitter question: If the power to have an opinion is so cherished, why are opinions so poorly thought out? Why do people throw this power away?
The diagnosis of this problem has to do with exposure. Children soak up the world around them and by the time kids become adults some of their beliefs are too firmly planted. Some virtues could be family, religion, favorite sports team, or of course, party preference. Many people stay in their comfortable beliefs instead of going against what they’ve known for all of their lives. They may consider this staying true to their ideas, but it is a plague that kills insightful thinking.
The internet and media has become a massive double-edged sword in the modern world. Sure, it provides heaps of instruction and news daily. Yet everyone listens to what they were instilled to believe growing up. They tend to trust these things based off of no evidence except that they subconsciously agree with it, and that is the problem. The only thing needed is a little investigation. If everyone would grab a magnifying glass and pay attention to what a politician actually does, the credibility of that person would be obvious. This is where the internet can be a blessing. All of their votes are available so that we can get a feel for what a politician’s beliefs are, or who they cater to. We can read what they’ve said in interviews and reports, and we can see who said politician has been working with.
There are thousands of websites that can give different takes on issues as well. Don’t be afraid to explore these places and sculpt your ideas based on multiple different perspectives. Not only will you be able to understand which side you are on, but why you aren’t on the other side of the debate as well. You may find yourself on a new end of the issue’s spectrum, and that’s great! You just opened up a new line of thinking to share with the world.
The key is that we choose what we’re exposed to, and if we’re exposed to the unbiased truth we will be informed. All of us must be politically involved if we want the U.S. to work like a well-oiled machine. Of course I’ve been a hypocrite and a part of this problem, but I’m working to change that. And the work it takes to learn is worth it to impact the future. We have the power to run the United States, to change the world, and we can’t keep throwing it away.