“If you are fed junk food, it’s not your fault that you can’t access broccoli,” Kristen Soltis Anderson said during Beyond the Talking Points. It was a line that caught my attention because of the way she related it to the upcoming election. She stated many times that it is not our fault that we have bad options, that they aren’t serving metaphorical broccoli this year. Anderson and Maria Teresa Kumar discussed the options that we have on the table as well as their thoughts and concerns, but most importantly, why our voices matter – especially the voices of youth and women. Listening to this discussion really helped me realize that my opinions are important.
People should not choose to sit this election out just because they don’t like the choices. Sometimes I feel like people do not understand how big of a deal this is. We have the power to choose the person who will govern our society for the next 4-8 years. Your vote matters because every vote that does not get tallied is a voice that falls silent. The way Anderson and Kumar spoke about their backgrounds and knowledge that night helped me understand how important this is. Not just for me, but for the next generation, for our brothers and sisters – this election can and will affect them. The next president will be able to appoint 3 supreme court justices. This means that the election can affect the new laws that will go into place. Laws that tell us what we can and can’t do. Laws that shape us. Laws that we HAVE TO follow. This will affect the way we will live our lives in the future.
The younger generation is watching and they understand what’s going on. This election has taught our young ones that bullying is okay. It has shown them that adults can act like children. It’s hard to watch, but again, we do not have the choice of broccoli. We may not have the healthiest choice, the option that’s best for our country.
But just because we do not have broccoli, does not mean we should stop eating. We have to work with what we have. I know this is a touchy topic. I understand that you have the right to vote and the right not to vote, but why wouldn’t you want to exercise a right that had to be earned? So please sit down with your friends and family and have that talk about voting. When life gives you junk food, try to make the best choices so you don’t end up crashing later.