Teens and Politics

By JASMINE OKBINOGLU
EISENHOWER HIGH SCHOOL

What do politics mean to the average student? Do today’s youth really care?

Most teens in high school are busy and can’t vote because they’re not old enough. But that doesn’t mean they all don’t care.

Just look at all the Obama shirts they wear, the Clinton and McCain buttons on their backpacks. And listen to their conversations about the November election.

Still, teens have a lot on their plates. Classes, homework, friends, jobs and sports don’t leave a lot of time for politics. So while many know the general goings-on, it’s difficult for some teens to keep up with politics on a daily basis.

“Honestly, I enjoy listening to and knowing things regarding politics in America, especially with elections coming so close,” says 15-year-old Ann Hodges, a junior at Eisenhower High School. “However, I don’t take time out of my day” to keep up with politics, she says.

She’s not alone.

Edwin Llamas, a 16-year-old junior at Eisenhower High School, says he doesn’t watch the news every day, either, because he doesn’t have the time.

If he does watch, he says it’s because “one day I want to be a lawyer, so I think I would need to know politics and gain experience that way.”

Llamas and Hodges both agree that Barack Obama is the better presidential candidate and are crossing their fingers hoping he wins.

Some students are interested in politics, but don’t feel there’s a point in having a political opinion.

“My belief is that students under the age of 18 shouldn’t really form opinions on political aspects because they can’t do anything about it,” says 17-year-old Max Foster-McCalpine, a senior at Davis High School. “A lot of teens’ opinions also come from their parents, so it’s not really even their opinions. That is why I pay attention and watch the news, but I don’t have views.”

Foster-McCalpine also says he doesn’t support any candidate for president because he won’t be able to vote in the election.

Sixteen-year-old Daniel Ullom, a junior at Eisenhower, agrees that teens can’t do much about the next president. But he says he believes political decisions will affect him. And he does have his own opinions about the current candidates.

“McCain is not well-rounded in politics, more focused on war efforts, and is old so he might die,” Ullom says. “Obama doesn’t have enough experience and makes promises that he can’t keep.”

“I know many candidates promise things they can’t keep, but I feel Obama is basing his campaign around them. So I don’t really support either, but I do care,” he says.