[quote]By Jason Behnke
Guest Writer
Graphic by Sushmitha Suresh[/quote]
The 2016 election has already become a very exciting topic, especially for some of us high school students who will express their right to vote for the first time. Everyone has the right to their opinion and to display it due to the great country we live in. Many of you who have commented on the story, “Sushi and Steph scrutinize Republican debate”, have expressed that right in a very poor manner, creating a bigger divide among voters. Do you really believe you have made things better by attacking others you do not like?
The election process has already sparked heated debates over who can run our country and what needs to be done in the next four years. This is all very constructive in ensuring we select a candidate that is capable of running the country the right way—one might even say to “Make America Great Again”. Regardless of your political views or what you find necessary to tweet about, we are all part of the same country under one common president: Together we must unite in order to create a better future for all.
Bashing or “tuning out” whomever you believe to be the opposing side will not improve anyone’s situation at all, no matter what side you are on. We must work hard at respecting other people’s opinions instead of only focusing on our own. This will allow us to work towards a better world by finding common ground, which is something we seem to have a tough time with. The fact that we are seen as a separated population is sad.
The sense of entitlement is strong as ever, crippling the improvements made by hard work. Instead of blaming one another for each of our own problems, we need to take a look at what we can do to make the situation better. This is not done by waiting for someone else to do it, blaming others for doing something you believe is wrong, or most importantly arguing that something is not fair.
Stop and listen to what is happening around you. Think about what you can do to make your beliefs a reality. Finally, and possibly the hardest part for some people, is listening. Listen to the other views and maybe you will learn something or can work with others to come up with a common solution. Continue to debate the election, but in a productive way. After all, we are the future.
Robbie Dozier • Nov 18, 2015 at 11:24 am
“Do you really believe you have made things better by attacking others you do not like?”
Yes, actually. Debate is an important part of the election process.
You are correct in saying we have a right to free speech, but until people start bullying or threatening others (which hasn’t even come close to happening), your statement that people have been exercising that right “poorly” is completely unfounded; but you have the right to say that. I respect your right to free speech, so please respect ours.
Zach • Nov 5, 2015 at 1:30 pm
Oh, I forgot to mention the eagle with a tear. Lets hope that was in humor, if not than this article is more pretentious than I thought.
Jason Behnke • Nov 5, 2015 at 2:03 pm
Hi Zach, I believe you are misunderstanding a few things. My letter was to the editor about the comments in Sushi and Stephanie’s satirical article. The tear was humor as well 🙂 Since we are having this discussion, they did their job in making students like yourself think about serious topics in our society.
Zach • Nov 5, 2015 at 11:01 am
So what the editor is telling us is “How dare you criticize us and our biases”.
Rahul Tamta • Nov 5, 2015 at 5:51 pm
He is in no way, shape, or form saying that.
Michelle Jackson • Nov 9, 2015 at 9:02 am
true
A Noble Friend • Nov 5, 2015 at 8:26 am
We can focus on everyone’s opinion but what about the politicians in D.C.? They just care about themselves. Especially in the Senate, if the people don’t like the bill that is being presented, they just filibuster it. So we can focus on everyone’s opinion but think about the politicians in D.C. They need to work together and off of that we can work together. We can do it but we need change in D.C. first.