21st Century Voting Boy

You get to a point in your boredom where you spend way too much time trolling around websites that you'd ordinarily not spend so much time trolling around on. For me, at this hour, it's Facebook. Am I proud of this? Running a slalom course through my friends' pages and their friends' pages checking out pictures and interests. Sending messages to friends I haven't talked to in forever. Proud? You betcha!

In the year 2008 the rules officially change. Trolling around websites like Facebook and MySpace to kill time, to meet friends through friends, to anonymously tell someone you think they're "finer than fine china" is perfectly acceptable...well, minus the lameness of that line. But it's all come around. No longer is dating online a faux pas. Commerce online has been widely accepted as safe and secure for some years now. The 21st century is finally starting to fulfill the promises we made for it 20 years ago in crappy sci fi movies. The Jetsons? We're still a bit off from them...begrudgingly.

But one rule is still in place. Well, I'm sure there's many but this one closely ties in to the first couple paragraphs I just wrote so let's go with this one. As I was motoring through pages on Facebook I saw on the main page that a couple of my friends had participated in a "debate". This "debate" was merely a page devoted to the question, "Based on the debate, do you think a Democratic President could keep America safe from foreign threats?" You could vote either way and then post on the discussion board more thoughts of yours and so forth. I like this idea for a couple reasons. For one, it's smart on the part of the Facebook team to instill political topics and discussions on the young public. Moreover, it's important that the young public learn more about politics because far too many of them have no f**king clue what they're talking about. How do I know this? I once was that age and I was just as ignorant and stupid. For those of you unlearned, those two qualities actually can be mutually exclusive.

So what's that one rule? Simple: if you're in high school you have no voice.

No, I'm not saying they don't have an opinion on matters political. Some may even though many young people (by the way, young people are those under the age of 21 and generally have never voted in a presidential election) don't care about politics at all. They may not care for a myriad of reasons some of which I'll be the first to agree are ruthlessly acceptable. (How much can you listen to pundits yap about the same topic that is inevitably a non-issue?)

What I'm saying is that young people, for the very most part, should not be allowed to voice their opinion. Some of you are going to flip out and jump out of your chairs and yell "unpatriotic!" and other ridiculousness but let me explain. Young people, as evidenced by their penchant toward watching television programs like American Idol, The Hills, and the Real World (and thinking that this is what really matters in life), generally have no idea what lies outside MTV studios and music featuring T-Pain.

When asked about politics young people either say, "I don't know - I don't care" or recite whatever they overhear their parents yelling at the TV. The latter is often spiced up with their own brand of language and attitude that's usually saved for Britney Spears debates.

The point is, most (note I did not say all) young people have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to politics. So when I check out a political message board and see people in high school voicing their opinions on something, I get a little annoyed. There's a reason you're not allowed to vote until you're 18. Sometimes I think even that is too young. You haven't experienced enough yet. You haven't learned enough yet. If you try and tell me that an 18-year-old can make an informed decision about America based on a US History and Civics class in high school I'll probably throw a shoe at you. (That's who throws a shoe.)

When I voted in 2000 I was 18 and three months. I was a fresh American voter...and I didn't know what the hell I was talking about. I was excited that I was allowed to participate in the process. I was finally given some real responsibility. Only problem is people that young aren't ready to wield that responsibility. They don't know anything. I didn't. I'm not saying there aren't informed kids mature past their age that actually could make a legitimate decision and not put a wrench in the cogs of the American political process. But the vast majority don't have the attention spans or knowledge yet to make a proper decision.

I refuse to believe it makes sense for in ill-informed young adult to have the same vote as I. I'm not saying I know everything and I'm not saying my votes are always made with all the knowledge possible. Hell, that's not possible for anyone. But I learn as much as I can and read and watch and do what I can so the vote I cast makes the most logical sense for the growth and prosper of this country we claim is the greatest in the world. What are the odds people under 21 really go through that process? You might try and argue that those under that age that don't know anything generally don't participate anyway so why worry. You're probably right on some level but it's not worth it for the ones that still go to the polls unlearned.

And this election is probably the biggest reason why we cannot have uninformed young voters coming to the polls voicing their opinions. They just don't know enough. These times are way too important and volatile and I'll be damned if I let some 18-year-olds decide our country's future. To understand the problems this country faces and the rhetoric tossed around in the political process you need a college education. You just do and I refuse to believe anyone that argues otherwise. I don't care what college you went to just as long as you gained the proper information and perspective one gains in post high school educational institutions.

Maybe we should just raise the voting age to 21. I'd have no problem with that. More young people are being thrust into the political process this go 'round because of the significance of this presidential election and the effect it'll have on the younger generations. They are almost being forced to voice their opinions. Well, let me tell you, I'm young enough to feel those effects too but I'm smart enough to make the right decision for my generation and the ones behind me.

So what can we do? Well, if you know anyone younger than 21 you should probably teach them about what's going on. That is, of course, if they care to know. If they care enough to get involved in November. Obviously you have to be up on the issues yourself which I assume most of my readers are but you understand the disclaimer. Let's get our generation, everyone older than 21 and younger than 31 up on the issues and pass that knowledge to those that get to vote for the first time in a presidential election so that the young voting populous that is expected to show up this time makes an informed decision that betters this country. I don't need four more years of arrogance, ignorance, and uninformed irrational decisions. Remember, a high school education alone isn't enough these days for a reason.