Democracy relies on education
The Presidential elections will soon be upon us and candidates from both sides of the political spectrum claim to have the best ideas to improve life for Americans. How does the public know which office seeker has the best ideas? Which candidate should they vote for and why?
Lately, the only prerequisites for the oval office lie with superficial attributes. Many Americans these days choose their candidate based on party affiliation or some preconceived assumption about the candidate which does not demonstrate eligibility for public office. It is not enough for someone running for office to simply state the problems we face today, nor is it enough to only say what they will do when they are elected.
The candidate needs to explain how the policy will be implemented. Even then, how does the public know the plan put forth by the presidential hopeful will suffice? The short answer is to be able to think critically, know the issues at hand, be aware of how government works, and be familiar with policies that pertain to them.
This is where education plays a key role in the political process. Just watching the news, “liking” a page on Facebook, or keeping up with current events will not do. It is very easy to be deceived by people who own media outlets or the people (we don’t even know) who run Facebook pages. Even candidates are beholden to their campaign contributors and are likely to say whatever their followers want to hear in order to get elected.
If the American people fall for these ploys and allow their minds to be molded by such propaganda, democracy will be lost. A democracy can only exist if the majority of citizens have a voice. A nation cannot be considered democratic when a few people influence and manipulate everyone else. Voter opinions, ideas, and thoughts about candidates, policies, or political routes are pointless if the ideas were ingrained by someone else.
The only way to truly have an original thought or to recognize a valuable candidate is to obtain an education, not by falling for half-truths and disinformation perpetuated by individuals with their own motives. If the American citizens begin to teach their children the importance of the political process, not only will future generations consist of more educated voters possessing well-developed opinions, smarter candidates equipped with better ideas will be selected.
Only when the majority of people are educated enough to understand what is best for their nation and possess ample knowledge to distinguish a deserving candidate over an unworthy one, will democracy prevail. The more educated the voters are, the stronger democracy is.
The writer lives in Little River.
This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 7:18 AM with the headline "Democracy relies on education."