So, politics, huh? Although often thought of by my young peers as “boring,” or even as “somebody else’s business,” it turns out that politics are actually way more important than some people think. Let’s have a serious talk about this for a minute.
As we get closer and closer to the 2020 Elections, I have encountered an abundant amount—a small yet significant enough group that needs to be addressed—of young adults, around my age, that are drifting apart from political matters. Most of the time, their apathy to politics is due to feeling misinformed and unable to critically think about the crucial issues that are going on in Puerto Rico. I recently spoke to a friend and, during the conversation, they justified their behavior with the following quote:
“I love Puerto Rico and it’s not that I don’t care about the things that should be done to make it a better place, or that it’s not important to point out the bad administration that has been ruling the Puerto Rican government for decades. The thing is that I feel like somebody else, with more power of intellect and an eloquent type of mind, could express better how we feel and maybe their actions will be more likely to be taken into consideration by others, or will make a bigger commotion than the ones I might be able to ever create by my own.”
As a friend, I completely understand and validate the feeling, but I think I can offer some advice to people who have this mentality.
In reality, no one is born knowing how political matters work. In fact, I can sympathize with the feeling of being overwhelmed by how heavy it can be to process this topic.
Politics are a complex discipline that covers discussions of how countries should be led and, in my opinion, taking in consideration the history of what has worked and what hasn’t in the past in order to build a better future. I think of it as dynamic, volatile, and open to the possibility of evolving for the greater good (or not) of the people.
Just to clarify, I’m not a political science student or anything close to it. All I have done throughout my life is listen, read, and inform myself. I need to point out my past privileges of being able to go to a school where I had the opportunity to take some amazing History and Sociology classes from a very young age. I also receive quality education at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, but I still don’t think it’s enough to quench my thirst for wisdom.
So, here’s my advice. According to both history and literature, living in a utopian society, country, or even world, would’ve been enough to develop a solid and well-balanced critical thinking mindset. However, that’s not particularly our reality. This means that it’s up to us citizens to do both the research and the reading, so as not to fall into the trap of ignorance and follow other people’s claims or ideologies in a blind manner.
In my experience, researching and educating myself has helped me to review and check the validity and faithfulness of the information I’ve learned in classes, because it’s important to fact-check what we know in order to use it for arguments, statements, and conclusions. Just like everything in life, meaning it doesn’t exclude politics, we need to learn and study before becoming connoisseurs of any topic. This includes, but is not limited to, reading, listening to other people’s experiences, and of course, discussing and sharing ideas with others.
It’s important to be political and it’s important to be involved because, like it or not, politics do include you and they do affect you. Now, I’m not trying to impose my perspective on anyone; I’m just explaining my point of view. Saying you don’t have enough knowledge is not an excuse to not engage with politics. Ask a friend who knows more about politics or maybe someone you’ve met online. It helps to start small.
On social media, there are a myriad of amazing and educational pages. Some noteworthy examples are @con.sentimientopr, a page dedicated to informing and addressing feminist and political issues; and @tuvotonosedeja, an Instagram page that’s part of an educational campaign focused on delivering important information about what each political candidate running during the next elections stands for and support in an objective, unbiased way.
It’s okay to feel intimidated; but remember that you can always ask for help, talk to friends, and talk to your family. Starting is the most important step and there’s no such thing as “too late” when it comes to educating yourself and speaking up for your rights as an intellectual and pro-active citizen. I believe in you and I believe in the change we can accomplish together as a generation. Like Benito Martínez once said: “Denle la bienvenida a la generación del ‘yo no me dejo’”.