The Restoration of Respect in the American Political Process

The Restoration Of Respect In The American Political Process

In recent years, civility in politics has greatly decreased, to the chagrin of the majority of Americans. Some would argue that it is virtually nonexistent, and may be irretrievable at this junction in American politics. I refuse to even consider the possibility of this statement being true. The divide between opposing views can and must be gapped for the United States to have the prospect of prosperity in the future. In order for us to rekindle the spirit of togetherness, and unity as a nation we must have an open forum for discussion. Within this dialogue people must feel safe enough to share anything and everything. If we continue to allow taboos to remain present within our political and social rankings, we will never be able to remedy them. I want to bring about a substantial political change, through the actions of myself, as well as my generation. The time I have remaining as legal child is waning, so the excuse of not being able to precipitate change as minor will no longer exist in a matter of months. As the youth we have an obligation to make the future a better time than the present across the boards. In order to remedy the political communication dilemma we are currently in, we must include local citizens in community councils/meetings so the differences aren’t so great between ideologies. We will have to encourage each other to forgive past transgressions. Most importantly, we will have to convince the masses that inaction isn’t an option, we must find common ground and act on the things we agree on, so we can iron out the terms of what we don’t. If we succeed at our goal, compromise will once again be a daily fixture of political life within the U.S.

The community councils that I propose the youth create are supposed to be better than their predecessors, and absolutely inclusive. This neighborhood forum wouldn’t be a neighborhood watch, a homeowner’s association, a book club, or any other superficial assembly. This body would meet a roughly twice a month for at least 2 hours in a space that could accommodate several hundred people, such as the neighborhood high school’s gymnasium, or a local community center. All would be allowed to attend these meetings that live within the neighborhood, or adjacent unincorporated areas. The socioeconomic range of people could span anywhere the those who are homeless to those in the yacht club. As is often the case, people sometimes are passive or indifferent towards meetings such as these, so to combat this habit incentives should be offered that appeal to all. In addition to opportune time for the event to be held such as the weekend or weeknight evenings, there should be good pull factor. The incentives shouldn’t be limited to just food and drink for all who attend, but more innovative offers. Perhaps businesses in the neighborhood could slash prices on goods for those who attend