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Opinions thread
Opinions thread
Alright, so, I wanted to make a politics thread but the last one was far from peaceful, so instead we have an opinions thread. Basically, you can post your opinions here–but please, no debating other people's opinions, and we're going to try and stay as controversy-free here as possible!
This may or may not descend into chaos, and I may or may not be doing this wrong, but here goes nothing!
First question for you all to go ahead and give me your opinion on: What are some good ways to get involved with politics if you're interested?
~~~
First question should be relatively controversy-free (hopefully) :)
submitted by rather not say
(February 26, 2021 - 11:37 am)
(February 26, 2021 - 11:37 am)
If you want to get involved in politics, the best place to start is getting a good understanding of it. What each of the political parties believe, what they agree on and where they disagree, and then what party you are. I think that if you want to be in politics, you need to know where you are coming from.
(February 27, 2021 - 8:29 am)
(February 27, 2021 - 6:54 pm)
I agree with Strawberri whole-heartedly! One of the best ways to get involved with politics is to stay informed on candidates and current events. This also goes for voting and such-- make sure you know what a candidate stands for and their policies before you make a decision. Making informed choices is definitely very important. Just by reading one political news story a day, you're already starting to get more involved. I'd recommend reading articles from a mainly impartial source, such as NPR News, to get an unbiased account of what's going on. There's nothing wrong with reading articles from a more politically-slanted news source, but I personally enjoy reading a more impartial take on current events, whatever my own thoughts on the events are.
Also, one of the ways I got involved with politics this year was to volunteer on election day! I worked as a poll worker for both the primary election and the main election, meaning that I helped people get checked in and work the voting machines. In my state, you can be a poll worker at age 16+; I'm not sure what the age range is for other states, but keep it in mind for the next election! It was honestly an amazing experience and I would have done it for free; however, at the end of my training and both elections, I ended up making about $300. I can talk more about the experience if y'all like but I would completely recommend it, even if you're not into politics. Most of the other pollworkers are elderly, and it was also great to spend the day with such knowledgeable adults and learn from them.
If you're too young to work the polls just yet (or if you're too impatient to wait 4 years until the next election), see if your school has a Young Democrats or a Young Republicans club! My school has both. It's a good way to get more into the political scene without too much commitment.
This is another thing that applies to only election years, but campaigning! If you are really passionate about a candidate and you've done your research on them, you can reach out to their campaign and find out how to get involved locally. That may include handing out flyers, answering phones, putting out signs, or similar activities. Admittedly I've never been passionate about a candidate enough to do this myself, but I've heard it's a good experience. Maybe talk to someone you know who's done it or do some research to find out if it's a good fit for you.
I hope these are helpful! Politics are very important in today's day and age; the more young people who get involved now, the more influence we have on the future. Good luck!
~Starseeker
(February 27, 2021 - 8:57 pm)
Second question: What do you think about animal testing? Like it? Hate it? Or something in between?
(March 2, 2021 - 2:04 pm)
If you mean people testing things on animals to see if it's safe or not, then I don't think it's fair. Animals were here before we were, and in my opinion, their lives should matter just as much as ours. Imagine if some other species came along, captured us, and experimented on us without caring about our lives? We wouldn't think that it's fair then, would we? I know a lot of people think humans matter more than animals because they're smarter and stuff, but I don't agree with that. I respect your opinion if you do agree with it. But animals are killed as an experiment, and people don't care. We don't know animals aren't as smart as we are, we don't know they aren't just like us. In my opinion, humans weren't made to be superior to animals. I think that humans were made to protect and live with animals, equally. Lots of humans are treated unfairly, and if you think about it, this isn't much different. Humans are technically animals as well, so why aren't animals getting that much attention as well?* Animals matter too.
*I mean no disrespect to the humans treated unfairly. I don't think animals need more attention than them, just that they should get as much attention as them.
(March 3, 2021 - 1:58 pm)
I think that while animal testing isn't something I love, you can't just give something to humans right away if it might hurt them. Some people might disagree, but I think that people's lives have more worth than an animals, and if it's irresponsible to let humans get sick or hurt.
(March 3, 2021 - 6:24 pm)
I agree with Strawberri. While it is not fair to the animals and I don't want anything bad to happen to them, I think that we can't risk getting humans sick for their sake. For example, if testing weren't done for the COVID-19 vaccine, who knows how long this quarentine would last, and how many more people would pass away because of it? So while animal testing is not something I agree with, I think that it is the preferrable option compared to letting humans get sick and die or giving them something that would hurt them.
(March 3, 2021 - 10:32 pm)
Ideally, testing would be done on cell samples, but that's typically not possible. (At least, not yet.) And while animal testing isn't wonderful, it's far superior to the alternatives, which would be not testing things at all, or testing it on human beings. Also, the majority of animals being tested on are bred in captivity, specifically for the purpose of being tested on. So they aren't animals that could survive in the wild or anything. And for the most part, scientists aren't giving the animals things they think/know will hurt them. So I guess I honestly don't have much of a problem with it, although I do prefer cell-testing (which tends to be more accurate, but cells are hard to test on and also very expensive.)
(March 4, 2021 - 10:36 pm)
I definitely disagree with animal testing. I think it's cowardly in a way (when we're too scared to test on ourselves, we use "lowly" animals) and just bad. Animals are humans with fur/feathers/scales, and lots can feel pain and emotion. We don't need to see them suffer just for a better conditioner. It's not really fair or humane or good at all.
(March 3, 2021 - 4:28 pm)
What's animal testing? (sorry if this comes off as rude, I seroisuly have no idea what it is except testing and animals)
It's testing a new product (e.g., a medicine or cosmetic) on an animal to see if it's safe before trying it on humans. Traditionally, many things have first been tested on lab rats.)
Admin
(March 3, 2021 - 7:16 pm)
Do you think it's more effective to get involved with politics at a national level, or at a local level?
(March 7, 2021 - 12:16 pm)
If we are talking about going into an office, national. The president has more power than a mayor, so you can do more. If you are talking about wanting to voice your cause, also national, unless it's something like a new law being passed in just your town. But if there's a piece of legislation that you oppose, get your opinion out on a national level. If you get support from people around the country, people will see how much support you have.
(March 7, 2021 - 3:31 pm)
What do you think about communism?
(March 10, 2021 - 3:34 pm)