You might be shocked to see that I am writing a blog about politics. Most of my blogs seem to be focused on health and nutrition which is my area of expertise but I think it’s time to explore a new field. Many people don’t know that I have Bachelors and Masters degrees in Political Science which would indicate that I know everything about politics. Let me be honest with you, I don’t have a lot of political knowledge but I think it’s time for me to learn. I stepped out of the political arena after getting disgusted with the domination of the two dueling major parties- Republicans and Democrats. Now I think it’s time to put my degree into practice and share my journey with you.
Let’s start with some interesting facts from recent surveys of general political knowledge at people-press.org. Only about 56% of Americans were able to correctly answer a survey about the number of women currently serving in the Supreme Court. Only 15% of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 had any type of active involvement with politics. How can we fix this problem? Well, I think that we can start by becoming actively informed about political issues. But first, we need to understand the term politics.
Politics is defined very nicely by Wikipedia as “a process by which groups of people make collective decisions”. We usually associate politics with the government but it can apply to anything from your academics to your work environment. Politics is everywhere!
You might be ask, “How I can become a more active participant in politics in my community?” Well, here are 5 quick tips to get you started!
Tip 1- Read the Newspapers- A great place to start is to read the local newspaper everyday including any on campus publications. Try to pay attention to the political section.
Tip 2- Watch the News- Try to watch a variety of news shows. Don’t limit yourself to those with a conservative or liberal bias. Just pay attention to the issues and try to find all types of different views.
Tip 3- Volunteer- It’s important to get some hands on political experience. Spend the day as an election volunteer or just try to get involved in a student government campaign. Either of these strategies will help your political involvement.
Tip 4- Read blogs- You can find some interesting information by reading a political blog. Any of the ones online will do. Just try to find one that you like and be consistent.
Tip 5- Take a class- Knowledge is power. You can enroll in a political science class at UF or online. It will help to build your political knowledge. You might even be able to find one that counts toward your degree.
Now that you have your tool kit, its time to take action. Pick one of the above steps and put it into practice for a week. The results may surprise you. Well, next time in political blog land, we will explore some political issues that affect UF students! Until next time!
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