Most high school student know very little or seem to be very uninterested in today's politics. That make me superbly mad because most of the people in my '08 senior class will be able to vote in this next year's presidential election. They know little to nothing about the people who are running nor do they really care to know more. How is my generation going to be the one to change things if they refuse to use the liberties that are granted to them.
There are those few students (like myself) that know and care to know what is going on in the world today. That amount of people needs to grow tremendously. I hate when I mention a notable politician and my fellow classmates do not know what the heck i am talking about.
The only way that we can change and educate the younger generation is by starting with the parents. Know that has been said over and over again, but that is only because it is true. it shows that most young people who know/care about politics are the ones who's parents educate/influence them.
Which brings me to my next point that the public educational system needs to be improved, where they are more government classes that are taught by teachers who are passionate about the subject want the student to know more about the world around them.
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I think you will really enjoy ProgressiveU. Most of the high school students here blog about politics and other relevant progressive principles (social justice, etc). It does a body good!
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss
"I won't be your winter. And I won't be anyone's excuse to cry. We can be forgiven. And I will be here." Sister Hazel's "Your Winter"
Nearly every day in France there is some protest or public action... and they actually work. They have huge voter turnouts (85%+), while we are lucky to see half in the US.
It would really be nice if we could see this sort of interest in American politics. When you look at the living standards of other western nations, they really are no worse than in America... for many, conditions are much better. They don't participate because things are really bad - they do so because they really do have governments that listen to them.
We have an odd behavior in the US. Other countries complain about anything and everything, pushing for change. In the US, we learn to keep quiet about problems and pretend things are great. People accept helplessness to easily in America.
It's too bad people don't seem to get more involved with what's going on around them..... I mean the President is going to be running the country for at least four years. I know I'm going to vote in '08 (my first eligible year) because I want to have a say in who gets to make decisions that affect my life.
I totally agree with you on the need for more and better government classes in high school! I learned absolutely nothing in my U.S. Government class. My teacher actually instructed our class to memorize the letter of the answers for the test.
I am semi-passionate about politics only because I have been raised to be politically-aware.
It really shocks me how so many teenagers have no clue about what is going on in the world.
Things definitely need to change! These fellow students are our future leaders.
It's so true! No one at my school knows squat about the candidates' views. They might have decided to support a certain candidate yet when I ask them about the person they know nothing about what the person is planning to do in office. It's pathetic. I even know more about the candidates and politics than my brother who is a junior in college! It's so sad. He didn't even know the names of the people running for president.