Having anticipated lunch break since she arrived at school, Alice eagerly pulls out her lunchbox until the phrase “transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison” freezes her in place. She snaps her attention to her friends who are now discussing political candidates and their policies. Recalling the recent presidential debate, she joins them in their friendly debate on which presidential candidate would be better at addressing their political concerns.
Political discussions have become increasingly prominent as the 2024 election draws nearer, constantly televised on news platforms, debated on social media and spoken about in conversations with friends or family. Political discussions refer to criticism specific to political candidates, policies and types of government. Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School express their contradicting views pertaining to engaging in politics.
Numerous MSD students share the belief that staying informed on policies of political candidates is important for a teen, as they are responsible for making national decisions that will impact teens directly.
“I do think high school students should be informed on candidates [policies],” junior Samera Kathuria said. “I think the main reason for this is that it’s our future in the hands of these candidates.”
Presidential candidates Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump’s campaigns promote contrasting views on key issues such as arms control, abortion access and immigration. The policies the future president of the U.S. chooses to implement will influence the lives of generations to come. For instance, a politician’s decision to or not to enact stricter gun laws has been shown to correlate to the number of firearm deaths per year.
Additionally, staying educated on the different policies proposed by each candidate allows students to develop their own opinions based on which candidate better aligns with their values, rather than blindly accepting the political beliefs of their family members.
Some students are concerned though, that the stigma attached to discussing politics may make school an uncomfortable experience, such as propagating partisan battles. This may dissuade students from voicing their political concerns in fear of being shamed or criticized.
“Politics has become a tool for hate where, instead of insightful and helpful conversations about the world, people say hateful and rude things about each other,” junior Ayaan Rajwany said. “People don’t want to be hated or judged, kids especially, so people are scared to voice their political opinions.”
Political party divisions have increasingly expanded in the past few years, creating and propelling political disagreements over simple facts supported by evidence–so much so that three in 10 Americans ranked the polarization between liberals and progressives an issue of high concern in a 2022 poll. A sensitive political subject may catalyze unproductive arguments from polar sides if not handled appropriately.
“I think that the political discussions amongst teens… are very controversial in a way that I believe it is difficult to truly have a purely academic conversation,” sophomore Krystal Kay said. “They can be so opinionated, and many teens have sources that show a lot of bias.”
If students cannot continue a constructive argument nor come to a resolution both sides can agree on, it is not an instructional debate but rather an attack on opponents.
“If the discussion comes to a place of hatred and just plain disrespect, I don’t think it should be happening at school because it takes away from what you are truly there for, which is to learn,” junior Madison Hamilton said. “You will never learn anything from anyone if you are too filled with hate to listen. Everyone has a right to their own opinions, and even if it’s different from yours.”
Specific environments meant to facilitate political discussions can help encourage students to participate in conversations involving their government and convince them that their political concerns do matter. MSD has a politics club where students can exchange their views on present issues, with a teacher mediating the arguments to ensure they maintain productivity.
“Students need to have a space where they can have [political] conversations because it’s so stifled, rightfully so, in a classroom,” politics club advisor Devin Schaller said. “A space needs to be made for kids to talk about [politics], learn from other people, meet people who don’t agree with them because that’s what the world is like. That’s why the politics club is important… it is that place for students to willingly talk about politics, political news, elections and not need to do it in a classroom.”
Generation Z is playing a salient role in civic life, with studies proving that they are voting at higher rates compared to previous generations at their age. Additionally, for the 2024 presidential election, eight million of the 40 million members of Gen Z eligible to vote are ages 18-19, holding the power to possibly influence election results.
As many high school students and recent graduates are within the 18–19-year-old age range, being informed on politics allows them to identify what issues are most important to them and vote for candidates who accurately reflect their viewpoints.
“I think it’s incredibly important for high school students to be educated on politics because we are the future voters of America,” senior Riley Walsh said. “Being informed on political situations as teens will make us better voters as adults.”
Although politics may not be an ideal way to start a conversation at lunch break, some MSD students conclude that it is a topic worth being knowledgeable about. Despite the fact that conversing in political subjects may pose concerns–especially when discussing controversial ones–it is one method by which teens can stay informed on world issues. After all, students will be impacted by the policies political candidates choose to enact, regardless of whether they decide to educate themselves on politics or not.
