Probably the most important thing young Americans need to do for the political system:
LEARN
You're probably thinking, seriously, I'm a student- that's all I'm doing right now, and coincidentally paying thousands of dollars to do it. I get it-I'm doing the college thing too (and currently avoiding doing homework by writing this). But in all seriousness, the first step to doing something is to know how to do it.
For example does someone working at a nuclear reactor go into it not knowing anything about nuclear-ness so when something happens their reaction is: "What does this button do?" No, those people are nuclear physicists and spent a lot of time in school doing math and science to learn all about the workings of a nuclear reactor.
It may seem like comparing the workings of nuclear reactor to politics is apples to oranges, but the principle is the same. You have to know what you're doing and how to do it in order to actually go out and achieve something. I mean, I guess you could go into a campaign office, get your clipboard and pen (or just the canvassing packet if you're me and don't like to use clipboards) and go out and talk to people without knowing what's going on, but really what would then be the point? None of it would make sense to you and you couldn't connect with the ideas or aspirations of that candidate.
It order to know what implications the government has in your life, you need to understand how it works, how checks and balances work together (really people, do learn this if only because it'll make Obama's 'jedi-mind meld' comment make much more sense). Also in learning the process, you can learn when the process, or part of it, is failing to protect the citizens (like the what the Republican agenda of the North Dakota state legislature is doing this session with trying to make abortions completely illegal while maintaining the legality of LGBT discrimination) and respond by knowing how fight for equality without breaking any laws.
I feel the simplest way to explain the essence of what I'm trying to say is with this from the tumblr capaignsick:
It order to know what implications the government has in your life, you need to understand how it works, how checks and balances work together (really people, do learn this if only because it'll make Obama's 'jedi-mind meld' comment make much more sense). Also in learning the process, you can learn when the process, or part of it, is failing to protect the citizens (like the what the Republican agenda of the North Dakota state legislature is doing this session with trying to make abortions completely illegal while maintaining the legality of LGBT discrimination) and respond by knowing how fight for equality without breaking any laws.
I feel the simplest way to explain the essence of what I'm trying to say is with this from the tumblr capaignsick:
