Let’s be honest for a moment: a lot of us get our daily news from Yik Yak.
I’m not here to criticize; in fact, I do it myself. What better network is there to find out what’s at the dining center or how the squirrels are acting? Though it is clearly not a reliable news outlet, Yik Yak helps me keep up with the events, happenings, and political attitudes on my campus. But this is exactly the problem: with major campaigns heating up and political turmoil racking the world around me, I hardly feel informed about developments outside my college bubble.
As an English major, it would make sense that I never felt a deep inclination to follow politics; it was, as I believed from a young age, just a reality show starring wealthy, crotchety old men arguing about budget ceilings and debt crises, and it never interested me as much as reading or writing. I would soon learn, however, that political awareness is not a choice but a responsibility; a responsibility for everyone, not just the eager political science student.
As a child, I grew up with the news as the background of my being— my mom never seemed to turn the kitchen radio off, and we tuned into hourly broadcasts on every car ride— yet it was not until a few years ago when I genuinely began to absorb what I was hearing, and that was around the time of Operation Protective Edge.
(I have no intention of stating my opinions about the Israel/Palestine crisis, nor do I wish to convey any specific viewpoint. The purpose is that I did my research.)
These events in the Middle East did have a significant impact on me, my family, and numerous friends and colleagues, all of whom come from different religious and ethnic backgrounds. The violence I was hearing about on the radio caused me to sit up and (finally) pay attention. I grew interested in the narrative aspect of politics: what made each side tick? I heard beautiful, tragic stories on the radio, stories of pain and rebuilding that could rival those I studied in my English classes.
I started following the news every day, whether it was listening to the radio, watching it on TV at the gym, or scrolling through my BBC app. A few months into my first year of college I applied to a program to study Middle Eastern intelligence and, to my surprise, I was accepted. While it was a little intimidating to state my English major in front of a group of political science students during our first introductions, I got more skills and awareness out of the program than I would have expected.
Studying the Middle East was a catalyst; at this point I have picked up a minor in Middle East and Islamic Studies, and I actively follow national and international politics. I certainly do not consider myself an expert, but I feel much more confident in my ability to form my own decisions and advocate for social change.
That’s what I want all you collegiettes to feel, whether you plan to pursue a job on Capitol Hill or study fine art: the decision to form your own opinions is your own; the choice to engage in social activism is your choice; but being politically aware of the issues facing you, your country, and your world is your obligation. While you can continue to view the results of your school’s soccer game on Yik Yak, I fully encourage you to expand your political thought.