As a 19-year-old United States citizen, I am excited to say that this upcoming election will be the first presidential election that I will get to vote in. I have been engaged in American politics since I was a child, and grew up listening to the news and the community speak about multiple issues that were and are still affecting our society today. I have always loved politics. I have always enjoyed listening to people’s opinions, and the reason they believe in the things that they do.
However, this upcoming election has been frustrating to me. This frustration has been increasing daily, and it is actually getting to a point where I just want it all to be done and over with.
Lately, I have been frequently asking myself this question: what is the greatest issue America is facing today? When asking this question, most people tend to come up with the same types of responses: “lack of gun control”, “Barack Obama”, “Republicans”, “Liberals”, “the economy”, the list goes on and on. But which one is the correct response? After reading article after article, watching the news, and listening to people talk, I think I have figured it out; all of these answers are correct.
They are all stemming from a single issue. And it does not come down to these specific topics at all; it comes down to the fact that I have heard multiple definitions and explanations of these topics from the news and casual conversation. All these topics seem to be ambiguous: each of these topics are defined differently, depending on who you are talking to, or which news station you are listening to. This is not only a problem, it is THE greatest problem America is facing today because every individual in America is on a different page.
Take a look at gun control for our first example; I have heard MULTIPLE definitions of “gun control, " but I will talk about the two most common definitions that I have heard. The first includes the complete banning of guns from every American citizen across the United States. The other includes stronger background checks and the elimination of loopholes that can allow one to buy a gun without a background check.
Two extremely different definitions for the same movement, right? One is completely breaking a Constitutional right, while another is making it much more difficult for a dangerous person to get a hold of a gun. And I will admit, different politicians are going to have their own definitions of gun control, and that is something that will be uniquely defined by each candidate. However, I have heard both of these gun control definitions used to define Obama’s gun control plan…. There is no way he can possibly work towards both.
People are attempting to define his definition, and are, in reality, making his definition ambiguous. It shouldn’t work like that. It makes people confused and less informed. Everyone is on a different page.
I will give you another example, using the economy. Now this is a very broad term, and can go in multiple, more specific directions (but all are ambiguous). Let's take a more specific route to the wage gap between men and women in America. To put it simply, some say there is a gap, while some say there is not. I have seen charts from both angles and have read about it from multiple angles as well.
There is either a gap or there isn't. WHICH IS IT??? It seems that the "facts" are displayed depending on the party displaying them, and facts do not work that way. There is either a wage gap or there is not a wage gap. Reading is said to provide knowledge, and knowledge is supposedly power, but in this case, the more you read, the more confusing it gets.
I could give you endless examples of the ambiguity of issues in America today, but I think you should think about some of those issues, and the multiple definitions you have read or heard to describe them. Now, you may have read this, thinking, "well, this is OBVIOUSLY the correct definition of this, or that, ya da ya da…" but some one else may have read it thinking the same thing, using a completely different definition.
As a 19-year-old, trying to figure out more about myself and my personal beliefs, this can all get very confusing. I am not, in any way, bashing opinions; one of the most beautiful parts of being an American is having the right to form your own opinion. I am bashing the fact that there seems to be a lack of a solid definition of anything. This is the reason the Republicans and Democrats cannot agree on anything; each side has formulated their own definitions of these issues, and how can we possibly agree on how to solve them if we cannot even agree on what the issues even are?
How do we, as Americans, solve this ambiguity issue? I honestly do not know. But my generation consists of the brand-new group of voters. As exciting as that is, it is also a bit terrifying. As a person who wants nothing more than to see America succeed, I hope that we, as American citizens, can rid of ambiguity, create more clarity, and get all of America on the same page.