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Jake Lipovsky
Ms. Blandford
UWRT 1103
8 November 2015
Politics
If you have ever watched comedy central, read a blog, or gone on Twitter, you have very
likely been exposed to extreme perspectives on politics. If none of those sources have given you
a poor opinion on politics, then maybe Donald Trump running for president might. Many young
adults are constantly exposed to all of the satire and sarcasm that surrounds politics. The fact
remains that most people have no idea what the sarcasm is addressing, thus the goal of satirizing
anything in politics is lost on an uneducated audience. I have grown up in a Democratic family,
but politics are not frequently discussed at the dinner table. A general knowledge of politics
should be something every citizen has, but speaking from experience, issues that indirectly affect
me are usually low priority. I choose to be independent, but thats because I dont know enough
about the two parties to choose otherwise. I wanted to come into this paper with an unbiased
opinion. It can be difficult to remain objective when speaking on rather controversial ideas.
A great chasm in political opinions first appeared in 1796. Politics played a major role in
the compromise that created our Constitution and discussion between political parties remains
the driving force of change in the United States today. We use politics to settle most of our
county, state, regional, national, and world wide problems. I enjoy discussing hot-button issues
with my friends because I know that I can remain impartial. It is clear that many people are
extremely steadfast in their values and are unwilling to even consider the merit in the opposing
sides opinions. Anyone would have a difficult time hearing another person assail their beliefs. In

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most cases, people tend to avoid discussing heated subjects with those holding vastly different
believes. According to Political Discussions with Family and Friends, Our data indicate that
young people who feel that their father, mother or friends, respectively, hold more distant
political views are less likely to engage in political discussions with each of them. These findings
support previous studies in political communication suggesting that people tend to avoid social
situations where political disagreements are likely to appear (Levinsen 2015). My best friend is
a strong Republican and I talk to him about it a lot. Ive been over at his house a few times when
his dad was watching Fox News or a debate and it always captivates me. I have no idea what
they are talking about on TV, but his dad always has something to add to what they are saying.
To be honest, I find it really funny just watching people talk about politics because they can get
so ridiculous about it. It makes me wonder why they let some of the topics get under their skin.
On the other spectrum of my friends, one of them has a dad who is a far leftist Democrat. He
actually helped Obama out running for his first his first term at president. Neither of my friends
fathers would ever be persuaded in the other direction. They are both just so hard headed. When I
see people like this it makes me question how does anything get done in this country.
Literacy plays a big part in defining what politics are and how their ramifications affect
us as individuals. To be able to read and write about politics, it is important to be politically
literate on the topic. Anyone can spew their view on the opposing party, but it takes political
literacy to cut out the opinion and focus on the truth. Have you ever tried to sit down and watch a
political debate? It can be hard if you dont have some sort of background in this knowledge.
Ive tried on several occasions, and for me its like trying to listen to someone speak in French
even though I have no background knowledge in French. They talk about abortion, animal rights,
war, taxes, military, welfare, and so much more. Each party has their own view on these topics.

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The Republicans and Democrats generally have little in common when it comes to these topics.
However, not all people are 100% left or right wing. A lot of the time, the public will mesh
opinions. For instance, the Republican party is known for being anti abortion, but there are
plenty of republicans that disagree with this one portion of the overall aspect of it.
Todays generations are drastically changing politics. Racial and ethnic diversity are
continuing to increase and show a larger growth in the democratic party than the republican. My
generation is known as the Millennials. Most Millennials tend to vote more democratic than
republican. More and more of the younger generation, outside of my experience, are more
supportive of gay marriage. They are also more open minded to interracial dating. The newer
generations affiliate with less religion than those in the past. I share the same views as the
majority of my age group. Living in South Carolina my whole life, most of my friends are
Republican. I find that most of the kids who talk about politics claim they are Republican, but
arent educated enough on it to clearly articulate a logical argument for their claim. They tend to
ramble about things they thought they might have heard or try to talk about some misinterpreted
information. Though my generation tends to lean more left, most of us are still unaware of the
fiscal, foreign, and domestic policies supported by either party. Social issues always are more fun
to debate about, but issues about running the country are far more important and far less known
about by the general public. I think each generation is slowly caring less and less about politics
and more about sex, drugs, and drinking, Already, there are signs Millennials are losing interest
in the political process. A survey of Millennials by the Harvard Institute of Politics released in
April found that nearly a quarter agreed with statements suggesting that politics is not relevant to
their lives or that political involvement seldom yields results (Greenblatt 2015). As I spoke

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about earlier, the media plays a big part in politics, and most media that kids watch is making fun
of politics instead of educating the public on it.
The media has always been the key method of information distribution. Newspapers and
town meetings used to be the only ways of keeping up with the latest news on your party. The
way people choose their news is just like how they choose their music. You go to your computer,
phone, or tablet and you download what music you like. Now they have the same basic function
for getting your news. News reporters have had to change how they work to accommodate these
means of the public getting their information. Political figures have also had to change. Donald
Trump is a social media fiend on Twitter. He posts whatever he wants whenever he wants and all
5.1 million followers can access what he wrote immediately. There have been studies on how this
can affect an election, Twitter users who write about politics tend to be male, to live in urban
areas, and to have extreme ideological preferences (Barber 2015). This description is how most
people would classify Trump. Along with being able to download what news you want to view,
now you can share it with whoever you want. You can send a tweet out, post it on Facebook,
even send a direct text. It has gotten so crazy that The White House even has a Twitter and
Facebook page. Not to mention that Sarah Palin had a discussion over Facebook instead of an
interview. I have the CNN app on my phone and when I first got it, it asked for all my interests,
now I get notifications that pop up on my screen whenever theres an article about an interest. I
also get updates on big things that happen like shootings or natural disasters. Im always on CNN
trying to keep up with the news, and when Im not on there Im on Instagram which is just the
same as any other social media site. My roommate and I constantly tag each other in posts we
find interesting. It has become easier than ever to access the news anywhere you go. Sometimes
it makes it hard for me to trust what I read online. Everyone has seen the commercial making fun

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of the one guy who thinks everything on the internet is true, the sad thing is a lot of people think
that. Because if this problem, politics can be negatively affected by the media, The results also
show that media framing of politics as a strategic game has a negative effect on trust in the
media. The more citizens are exposed to game-framed news, the less they tend to trust the media,
with the exception of tabloid newspapers(Hopmann 2015). Some things that are said just seem
so farfetched. Its really important to have sources that you can trust because politics are a big
deal. You dont want faulty information causing you to vote for someone based on incorrect
information.
Politics is the means of creating a more organized and peaceful society, by giving us
methods to fix conflict that naturally happens between humans. Even though it doesnt seem like
politics are working, they are the necessary evil that propel us through the obstacles we face.
Whether there is a correct party to choose, I probably wont ever know, but both sides are just
trying to make a better environment for todays world. Politics in various forms, are present
wherever and whenever humans form a community. The youth of this world is changing, making
it inevitable that politics will change as well. Lets hope us Millennials can help it change for the
better.

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Works Cited
Barber, Pablo, and Gonzalo Rivero. Understanding The Political Representativeness Of
Twitter Useres. Social Science Computer Review 33.6 (2015): 712-729. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
GREENBLATT, ALAN. The Issues. CQ Researcher 25.24 (2015): 555-562. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
Hopmann, David Nicolas, Adam Shehata, and Jesper Strmbck. Contagious Media Effects:
How Media Use And Exposure To Game-Framed News Influence Media Trust. Mass
Communication & Society 18.6 (2015): 776-798. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8
Dec. 2015.
Levinsen, Klaus, and Carsten Yndigegn. Political Discussions With Family And Friends:
Exploring The Impact Of Political Distance. Sociological Review 63.(2015): 72-91.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.