Hello America, Hello World! I’m with you and for you!
That honest silliness aside: To introduce myself, I am a 22 year old student at UNLV, majoring in Anthropology, and becoming increasingly passionate about the state of our social world. But more specifically, I started this blog because my brain was getting too fried from the insanity known as the 2008 presidential election season.
My anthropological training has given me a different outlook on the process, and I have been trying to do my best at participant observation within this experience. I’m immersed in this event, yet at the same time I care deeply about understanding the mechanics and effects of it. Trying to be objective not only for political reasons, but for cultural/social-behavioral reasons. Lately I’m concerned with the idea of access to information, and how the knowledge one has access to constructs their perceptions. I promise I won’t get Durkheimian or anything in here (but maybe just a tad Weberian)! But those fundamentals lead me to a big reason of why I wish to blog…
I was asked (more or less) about why I care so much about analyzing these people, their words, and their philosophies when I’ve already made up my mind about who I’m voting for. I think that my decision aside, it’s overwhelmingly important to look at the people that, in one aspect, determine our American lives. But what’s more important is to ensure that the correct information is getting out to the rest of American society. While I’ve already made my decision, I’m still concerned with what both main candidates are saying to the American public. The public that supports or opposes them, and the public that has yet to decide. I’m growing so weary that many people in America are getting a skewed perception of the candidates (though it’s often times inevitable) because of the words being flouted by many participants in this election process. The truth (or the nearest we can get to it) needs to be provided to people, so they can make the most sound judgment. Without access to accurate information, how are we supposed to make an accurate decision, especially one as important about who represents us not only in our American lives, but is a representative for all of us to the rest of the world.
While we try hard to gain the truth about these candidates and their views, we have to come to terms with the fact that we are not going to agree with everything! And that’s all right! The importance in evaluating these people that will be running the United States is not debasing a ticket simply because of one issue. Instead, there really needs to be a focus on the whole. A great wish of mine is to try and expose people to all concerns that arise from certain candidates, not just one situational issue. American society will never reach perfection, we are constantly changing and facing troubles; but speaking for my generation, I feel we are at a critical point in our existence and the two major campaigns really do present drastic differences of where our country has the possibility of going.
And just a little note to show my appreciation and consideration for the rest of the world, here’s an article that gives worldwide polling results on American presidency preference:
Obama win preferred in world poll
GO WORLD!
