Sixteen weeks ago I shyly creaked open the door to Glover 130, as I shuffled down the slanted walkway I gazed around at my fellow classmates. I observed dancing Obama screensavers, elephant stickers pasted on backpacks, and the words “For Change” scribbled on notebooks. I slumped into my seat and felt an anxious and overwhelming sensation soak into me and settle, heavily in my stomach. Would I be able to do this? I am a registered Republican and active in local politics but am I smart enough to talk politics with these opinionated people or will they laugh at my lack of knowledge? I fiddled nervously with my pens, sitting up straighter trying to look like I know what I’m doing. The weeks flew by this class became a highlight in my academic schedule. Everyday the lectures entertained me while helping me learn simultaneously, who would have thought! I had moments where I felt proud to be an American and I had flashes of disdain for the democratic government system. Most importantly this course made me realize that our political system is firmly built on the participation of its citizens. In order for our political system to stay healthy and thrive we as American need to get out and vote. I look at myself, I have had 15 years of formal education and voting still intimidates me, but through enrolling in a course, reading literature, and listening to my teacher and classmates I feel not only prepared by obligated to take a swim in our active political culture. Today I will argue that through the implementation of politically center courses in our public education curriculum voter participation will increase and politicians will feel greater pressure to accurately represent their constituents. Through these political education courses issues such as popular culture’s effect on politics would become less influential. Most of all with education voters can resist media’s power on politics.
Formal political education is where the change needs to commence. Hollihan explains that voter “turnout has historically been higher among well-educated citizens.” (Hollihan, 307) Only 170 million out of the 220 million eligible voters are registered to vote and in 2008 61.7% of these eligible voters made it to the polls in the presidential election, this is the highest voter turnout since the 1968 presidential race. Clearly we have a problem motivating citizens to participate in politics. Citizens claim that they aren’t informed enough, their vote doesn’t count, or they don’t have time to make it to the polls. Hopefully with certain courses people will begin to see that voting is a precious gift and a right that our ancestors were willing to die for. By implementing these educational courses Americans will have the opportunity to learn the basics of our political structure such as the Judicial, Legislative, and Executive branches of government. They will learn the primary issues supported by each party and where they stand on the political spectrum. When I entered this class I had taken two government classes in my 15 years of education and even in the beginning of this course the basics of political parties were discussed. Voter turnout numbers are low, but they are extremely dwindling in the 18-24 age group. In the 2008 elections the 18-24 age group produced only 48% of their eligible voters, this was an increase from 2004. Young people should be extremely stimulated to contribute to our political system because they are fresh from public education, the fact they there are not clearly illustrates the need for political curriculum.
When political education becomes an integrated part of public school curriculum I believe we will see a change in our countries political communication. With background knowledge in place citizens will be able to pick a candidate that complies with their personal political needs, and hopefully they will become less influenced by skewed portrays of certain political figures. In the curriculum there would be a unit, similar to ours, on politics and pop culture. It is absolutely pivotal that students learn the difference between political satire and actual issue based information. Tina Fey is not an accurate image of Sarah Palin, nor is she actually articulating her political platforms. With the completion of a political education course Americans well be able to distinguish between comedy and reality. Also when learning in the literature how to identify a legitimate news source, people will be able to access real unbiased news. This will allow citizens to recognize programs like The Daily Show as purely entertaining not informative. Popular culture is drowning our political participation because of authority over voters. If programs like Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show continue to portray public leaders as blubbering idiots then people fell less motivated to vote for these leaders. Many American don’t have the educational resources to realize that this isn’t real! Political education can empower citizens to distinguish politics from popular culture in order to make educated political decisions.
Politics and media is the ultimate love hate relationship. Essentially mass media sources are the gateway to political communication; one cannot live without the other. The use of media has a powerful affect on voter participation because media outlets control the political information they receive. Jones explains that “media are our primary points of access to politics-the ‘space in which politics now chiefly happens for most people,’ and the place for political encounters that precede, shape, and at times determine further bodily participation (if it id to happen at all).” Political education is especially important when dealing with the media because of is intimate relationship with politics. It has the ability to effect voters’ political judgments on candidates and issues. With the political media education citizens will have a better understanding of media bias and have the capacity to separate influence from information. In politics the media will always play a role, whether it’s are scathing a politician, labeling flaws and inexperience, or laying the ground work for controversy the media will always be our easiest access for political information. This why it’s so important that we understand the web of mass media. My biggest hope is that with a politically educated society we can fracture mass media’s capability to hinder a candidates’ success by impeding their characters through demeaning acts like hypersexualization. When people hear the media talk about Barack Obama wearing mom jeans they take politics less serious and are less likely to vote. Especially when the media blows up stories of politicians’ infidelity, people then stereotype all politicians as liars and are less likely to vote. I personally feel that when a politician has marital problems it has absolutely no weight on their political occupation. Politics is about electing leaders that will best represent the people, not the variety show that modern politics has turned into. Education will at the very least give voters the opportunity to form their own opinions without the mass media’s manipulation.
Political educational curriculum is one answer to improve our countries political communication. Of course we can never guarantee that people will take it seriously, but at least they would have they opportunity to be an active member of society. Education is a prime key to the success of our nation and will lead to higher levels of participation through voter turnout. Along with providing means of participation, political education will help turn around the slippery slope that is popular culture. It is now time we educate ourselves enough to recognize the difference between political humor and real current issues. Politicians should not be judged on how good they look and what diet there on, but if they can move millions of Americans to a better tomorrow. It’s time to let go of traditional gender and race roles and let American grow into a more intellectually diverse society. I believe that through formal political education citizens will become more motivated to vote and less influenced be popular media’s images of political figures and policies.
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