Before I begin explaining, I have to say that I tried. I really did. E for effort, anyone? (Except in my mind E represents Exceeding Expectations, and frankly it did exceed expectations that I even attempted to like politics.) The Economist has been my homepage for a month now, and numerous other websites relating to politics, foreign affairs, economy, etc., have been in my bookmarks for ages. And I open them almost daily to read an article or two. Yet, each and every time, midway through the texts I realize something: I have no idea what is going on. Sure, I understand that Merkel was reelected with an almost complete majority, and that Obama will not be going into Syria after all; however, that is merely the gist, it is the intricate details that escape me. Politics 1 : 0 Simona.
Hence, I am unable to elaborate on the current economic situation in the United States, nor can I comment on the state of affairs in Egypt. Nevertheless, I believe I have found a more relevant question to answer. Well, right between the names of Minister Something-I-had-never-previously-heard-of and Mr. Politician-I-vaguely-knew-existed, I say to myself (and sometimes dramatically cry to the heavens): Why? Why am I seeping through dozens of articles beyond my reach (currently, at least) just to come to the conclusion that I need to read more?
The answer, ladies and gentlemen, will be provided in this article, for two main reasons: primarily, because I had to write about something, but also because the question required me to think it out, and writing about it seemed the perfect solution.
Reason One: Ice-breaking
Everywhere you go and anywhere you turn, politics appears to pop up as the main topic of interest and conversation. Admittedly, people often rant about things they are not completely certain of; yet, my ignorance of the current world affairs has often forced me to remain silent or simply remove myself from circles discussing such matters. The overarching cloud of self-examination is in pure glee at those times, and I am often left feeling stupid. Thus, Politics 101 would certainly come in handy for anyone opposed to frequently feeling foolish during everyday conversations.
Reason Two: Smarticle Particle
On a more personal level, several times I have been classified as a lesser debater due to my lack of love for politics and foreign affairs. Many a debate, as well as many an argument, have I lost due to my political illiteracy. Given that debating equals life for me, this is obviously a problem. Still, even for souls not yet lost to Karl Popper, Lincoln Douglas and all the other fancy debate formats, politics provides a perfect method of showing off. The ability to flawlessly explain the differences between the electorate system in the States and Germany should serve to whisk any girl off her feet. Besides, even if it doesn’t manage such an extreme, it would definitely offer some brownie points with teachers and friends.
Reason Three: Village Mentality
The world is becoming one little village nowadays. Arab Spring didn’t only influence the Middle East; Greece running bankrupt had effects wider than the European Union. A couple of centuries ago, one could probably survive content with life with knowledge only about the space within his farm’s or castle’s walls. Today, fortunately or unfortunately, our scope is much broader. Therefore, the information we have need to fittingly cover a much larger range. As possibilities are plenty, if I remain with a lack of political awareness, there is a high chance that I might attend university in a place, which I haven’t got the faintest clue about. And, to tell you the truth, I remain a believer in the prospect that at one point in the future some country might engulf Macedonia into its own, and I would like to be fairly acquainted with the respected nation prior to these shocking occurrences.
Reason Four: The (Bed, Bath and) Beyond
Now, as clichéd as I may sound, young people like me are the future. There’s no escaping it (and believe me, I have tried. Even hiding under the bed covers doesn’t help). Us being the future and all, we need to be educated in the past and the current. If we want to live and prosper in a democratic system, we must be aware of its workings and flukes. You know how people constantly say that the new generations bring hope, well if we are to bring this hope, we need to learn from the mistakes of millions of politicians. Truly, I have no interest in becoming a politician, yet I am an almost OCD debater. There is a cause for this; I believe in the necessity of change and progress. As a natural science enthusiast, my mind constantly functions with the idea of evolution, but evolution needs a basis to occur on. Hence, the youth needs to become more politically aware because at one point we are the ones who, willingly or not, will become politically active.
Reason Five: Spanish Soap Opera
When I was young, I used to be bored to death by my grandma’s constant need to watch Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian or, most recently, Turkish drama series. However, now I understand her motives in doing that, besides boredom of course. They are fun in their own hilarious and purely masochistic way. Politics is honestly quite similar. If one puts all the important public figures into perspective, soon the entire business begins to resemble a kindergarten playground. It is common knowledge that there is nothing more interesting than observing children play (even non-pedophiles would agree), as they get overly attached and excessively involved. Glancing at The New York Times or Reuters provides with the same amount of entertainment. So, if you’re not doing it for the education nor for the ideological belief in a better tomorrow, do it for the amusement
Almost a thousand words later, I have managed to convince myself to continue bookmarking interesting articles and frequenting the world’s most renowned newspapers. Although I am aware the process of me liking politics will take time (and probably me missing quite a few homework deadlines), perhaps I need to reconsider my title. After all, it does look as if politics didn’t win such a clear victory against me.
Simona Sarafinovska
Hence, I am unable to elaborate on the current economic situation in the United States, nor can I comment on the state of affairs in Egypt. Nevertheless, I believe I have found a more relevant question to answer. Well, right between the names of Minister Something-I-had-never-previously-heard-of and Mr. Politician-I-vaguely-knew-existed, I say to myself (and sometimes dramatically cry to the heavens): Why? Why am I seeping through dozens of articles beyond my reach (currently, at least) just to come to the conclusion that I need to read more?
The answer, ladies and gentlemen, will be provided in this article, for two main reasons: primarily, because I had to write about something, but also because the question required me to think it out, and writing about it seemed the perfect solution.
Reason One: Ice-breaking
Everywhere you go and anywhere you turn, politics appears to pop up as the main topic of interest and conversation. Admittedly, people often rant about things they are not completely certain of; yet, my ignorance of the current world affairs has often forced me to remain silent or simply remove myself from circles discussing such matters. The overarching cloud of self-examination is in pure glee at those times, and I am often left feeling stupid. Thus, Politics 101 would certainly come in handy for anyone opposed to frequently feeling foolish during everyday conversations.
Reason Two: Smarticle Particle
On a more personal level, several times I have been classified as a lesser debater due to my lack of love for politics and foreign affairs. Many a debate, as well as many an argument, have I lost due to my political illiteracy. Given that debating equals life for me, this is obviously a problem. Still, even for souls not yet lost to Karl Popper, Lincoln Douglas and all the other fancy debate formats, politics provides a perfect method of showing off. The ability to flawlessly explain the differences between the electorate system in the States and Germany should serve to whisk any girl off her feet. Besides, even if it doesn’t manage such an extreme, it would definitely offer some brownie points with teachers and friends.
Reason Three: Village Mentality
The world is becoming one little village nowadays. Arab Spring didn’t only influence the Middle East; Greece running bankrupt had effects wider than the European Union. A couple of centuries ago, one could probably survive content with life with knowledge only about the space within his farm’s or castle’s walls. Today, fortunately or unfortunately, our scope is much broader. Therefore, the information we have need to fittingly cover a much larger range. As possibilities are plenty, if I remain with a lack of political awareness, there is a high chance that I might attend university in a place, which I haven’t got the faintest clue about. And, to tell you the truth, I remain a believer in the prospect that at one point in the future some country might engulf Macedonia into its own, and I would like to be fairly acquainted with the respected nation prior to these shocking occurrences.
Reason Four: The (Bed, Bath and) Beyond
Now, as clichéd as I may sound, young people like me are the future. There’s no escaping it (and believe me, I have tried. Even hiding under the bed covers doesn’t help). Us being the future and all, we need to be educated in the past and the current. If we want to live and prosper in a democratic system, we must be aware of its workings and flukes. You know how people constantly say that the new generations bring hope, well if we are to bring this hope, we need to learn from the mistakes of millions of politicians. Truly, I have no interest in becoming a politician, yet I am an almost OCD debater. There is a cause for this; I believe in the necessity of change and progress. As a natural science enthusiast, my mind constantly functions with the idea of evolution, but evolution needs a basis to occur on. Hence, the youth needs to become more politically aware because at one point we are the ones who, willingly or not, will become politically active.
Reason Five: Spanish Soap Opera
When I was young, I used to be bored to death by my grandma’s constant need to watch Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian or, most recently, Turkish drama series. However, now I understand her motives in doing that, besides boredom of course. They are fun in their own hilarious and purely masochistic way. Politics is honestly quite similar. If one puts all the important public figures into perspective, soon the entire business begins to resemble a kindergarten playground. It is common knowledge that there is nothing more interesting than observing children play (even non-pedophiles would agree), as they get overly attached and excessively involved. Glancing at The New York Times or Reuters provides with the same amount of entertainment. So, if you’re not doing it for the education nor for the ideological belief in a better tomorrow, do it for the amusement
Almost a thousand words later, I have managed to convince myself to continue bookmarking interesting articles and frequenting the world’s most renowned newspapers. Although I am aware the process of me liking politics will take time (and probably me missing quite a few homework deadlines), perhaps I need to reconsider my title. After all, it does look as if politics didn’t win such a clear victory against me.
Simona Sarafinovska