I’ve been in Philadelphia for only two and a half weeks now, yet I’m astounded with the many opportunities and interesting events with which I’ve already been presented. My latest adventure took place yesterday as I had the chance to hear President Obama speak at a rally in support of Hillary Clinton. Our internships gave us the afternoon off, encouraging us to be politically involved and to seize this rare opportunity.
Taking off from NSC around noon, we joined a mob of excited and slow-moving people. We passed vendor after vendor, setting tables up with tie-dye t-shirts, “Hill yes” hats, and lots of playful pins depicting both candidates photoshopped onto a plethora of backgrounds and images (Trump’s face on Voldamort had to be my personal favorite). Dakota Access Pipeline protesters and green energy enthusiasts greeted us, holding signs and a Portlandia-like papier-mâché sculptures advocating for clean energy bills. We were funneled through security, passing stacks of lawn chairs and water bottles that had to stay behind. As thousands filled the square bordering Rocky Steps, we took our place in the crowd, beaming with elation and sweat in the 90˚ heat as we waited for our speaker.
Obama’s speech was captivating, presented passionately, with diction all could understand and relate to—just what you’d expect from such a well-practiced speaker. I just kept blinking my eyes, having to remind myself that yes, this was actually happening! I was standing a mere 10 yards or so away from the president of the United States! My favorite moment in the speech was hearing Mr. Obama himself proclaim “Thanks Obama!” as he responded to a crowd member praising the current low gas prices. The whole event was incredible—another once in a lifetime moment here in Philadelphia. It was comforting to see so many passionate people of all ages from toddler to grandma, coming together to hear from such an impactful leader. It’s new for me to be in such a political city, but politics are unavoidable in Philadelphia; I guess that’s inevitable in the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed! Philadelphia has a massive immigrant population, and it seems that everyone here has something to say about this, and other controversial political topics. Since I’ve arrived, I’ve already had countless political conversations, from my first night here discussing politics with my home stay mother to conversations held on the bus, at work, or at the Social Security office about the state of our government in general. Despite what each of these encounters specifically entailed, we could all agree on one thing—a lot needs to change!
From growing up in a very conservative state to abruptly being thrown into one of the most liberal cities in America has undoubtedly made me think. It’s odd to suddenly fall into the majority party-wise; I’m no longer anywhere near being “the most liberal” person someone knows. I haven’t yet figured out whether this switch will be helpful or harmful for me, but it’s interesting to see how the other students are adapting.
Not all the gap year students who went to see Obama are democrats. In fact, a couple would consider themselves very Republican, but that didn’t stop them from attending an incredible experience. In fact, they were excited to hear a view from the other side—to gain a new and opposite perspective in the political arena. Hearing this made me think. How often do we allow ourselves to hear that other side? I know my family tends to stick to the same news station, same magazines, and same websites to get most of political news. We like to hear from and surround ourselves with those who agree with us, continually confirming our own opinions and beliefs. My whole life I’ve been challenged to stay informed, always having my opinions backed by researched information for times of debate or discussion. I was the odd one out, so I was challenged to grow, develop, and research, compelling myself to go against the grain and to make sure my ideas truly were my own. I am now able to see the perspective of the other side—the majority. How easy it is here for someone to grow up so fully liberal, never exploring another option because what’s right in front of him or her is so very easy. Being in the majority means not constantly having your positions questioned, and thus falling complacent into the mainstream. This means no challenges, no conflict, and thus, no development. This means sliding so far to one comfortable side that eventually, compromise becomes impossible, and progress comes to a standstill. Sound familiar? This is the exemplification of our government today! We’re so comfortable surrounding ourselves with similar people who tell us that our thinking is the right thinking and not to budge for anyone, that we’ve fallen oblivious to the fact that this is an issue! We’ve made compromise impossible! The problem starts with us, not our politicians, exemplified by the sad fact that voter turnout in the US remains one of the lowest in the developed world, with only 42% of Americans voting in the 2014 midterm election. These are the facts. We are the problem. We just can’t expect anything to change if we aren’t first willing to change ourselves.
Now, regardless of whom you may choose to vote for in this upcoming election—I expect all who are eligible to do so—I challenge you in the meantime to hear from the other side. Turn on Fox News or CNN and grit your teeth through the pain of hearing a new perspective. You don’t have to agree with a single thing—that’s not the point—but you should at least try to see the other side. Empathy will never be a bad thing.
This was supposed to be a short post, but I’m realizing that’s hard for me when it comes to politics. As is probably apparent, I’m always ready to discuss issues or share viewpoints regardless of one’s political background. Feel free to shoot me a text or an email if you’re interested in chatting! Thanks for reading!
