American Federal Government

Most Americans do a poor job of analyzing the political information they receive, which results in a lack of political knowledge. Not to mention that they get much of their political information from social media and websites like Facebook and Twitter, which are full of sensationalized clickbait headlines containing mostly false information. Those who are already politically uneducated will become even more so. Many people also fail to fact-check what they read, which is often biased, satirical, and distorted interpretations of events from trolls, polarizing American politics even more. While Americans can examine a variety of unbiased sources, read long-form, in-depth political analyses, or attend town hall meetings organized by their congressional representatives, many choose not to do so. Even if there is a risk of being deceived and misinformed, short cues provided by social media and news websites are often their only and preferred method of informing themselves; this is especially true for Americans who are less educated or purely don’t care about politics and mistakenly believe their vote doesn’t matter nor count.

Because the United States is a democracy ruled by the people, it is essential for citizens to become politically informed in order to elect leaders who can govern effectively. However, many Americans are failing to do so in this age of mass information, where anyone can become well-versed in politics, and the politicians who are electing themselves with a thorough search on credible sites, and as a result, are falling behind in terms of political knowledge and participation. Particularly in local elections, there is an underrepresentation of young people in the polls, but an overrepresentation of older generations, who generally have different concerns and political beliefs than the Younger Generations. I believe there is a reason for this, and it is primarily because younger Americans are disillusioned with the system and believe that voting will not fix what they perceive to be a “broken system.” A lack of political efficacy and literacy in our political system, as well as a decline in patriotism, are factors contributing to the low turnout of American voters, especially the young ones. Not to mention politicians who do not reflect their views and frequently fail to target young people in their campaigns. Most young voters support candidates who focus on issues that are vital to them, such as education, climate change, gun control, and social issues. When the Parkland tragedy occurred in 2018, a record number of young people became involved in political issues, organizing rallies, charities, and marches in support of stricter gun laws, garnering the attention of the media and many politicians. However, many felt a lack of support from their elected officials, who felt they were not listened to and rather overlooked because of their age. Believing that more could have been done to protect schoolchildren and others from gun violence. This caused even more dissatisfaction among the younger generations (Millennials and Generation Z), who questioned if public opinion/outcry has a direct impact on public policy and whether elected representatives will implement the policies favored by most of the people or not.

While the media played a role in encouraging American voters to vote and support elected officials who represent the best interests of Americans, they have also enabled the dissemination of false information, which is frequently manipulated by political elites and has a significant impact on political socialization and attitudes, encouraging division in our country. Furthermore, politicians are always bickering, leaving no room for civil discourse. This makes voters feel as if there is no need to participate in politics because they believe politicians are unethical and corrupt and that they do not deliver on their promises or act in the best interests of the people. Whilst, this could be true in many aspects, it may also be interpreted as a form of ignorance and neglect of civic responsibilities because informing yourself on policies that will benefit your country is what ultimately sustains a democracy. When people are educated, they are better equipped to make informed decisions and hold corrupt politicians accountable, allowing them to bring positive changes in their communities and protect their rights. To do so, you must engage in the democratic process of electing leaders who represent your values and beliefs to build a better country and a brighter future for succeeding generations. After all, a democracy is ruled by the people, for the people; how can we preserve our democracy if we don’t act on it?

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Politics can be defined as one of the most important human activities and jobs, because the fate of the life of an entire country depends on their actions. The work of a doctor, teacher and other occupations and professions can influence, benefit or harm tens of thousands of people for a lifetime, while a politician has an impact on the lives of millions of people or all of humanity, depending on the country. It should be made clear at the outset that when we speak of political ignorance, we are not referring to the ignorance of those people who, due to the vagaries of life, did not have the opportunity of a formal education. No, we refer to the “rational political ignorance”, the political ignorance of those beings who choose not to be interested in politics and, rationally, become “political ignoramuses”. Political ignorance is not due to lack of access to relevant information, but because voters rationally choose not to invest the time and effort necessary to learn and understand political issues. Political ignorance is rational because, as individual voters, we do not have the ability to influence the outcome of an election. In the case of a U.S. presidential election, the probability is less than one in 100 million. From this perspective, it is not worth spending a lot of time and effort to obtain political information. Of course, this and other defects make democracy the best imperfect system of government ever known to mankind. One can never think of solving this flaw by limiting voting rights. The solutions go elsewhere. Some examples: to resume and intensify civic education in the curriculum of our school system is basic and vital. The use of daily news as a learning factor to complete what is achieved in the cold texts also helps a lot. To achieve that through reforms to the Electoral Law we avoid that money is determinant, and that serious debate dominates over massive and superficial publicity. To increase genuine decentralization and reduce the presidentialism that causes the authority to be always far from the life of the citizen. The reaffirmation of the principle of the separation of religions and the State in order to deepen the rational debate, away from blind dogma. So it is easy to understand that even the most educated and intelligent make the rational decision to be politically ignorant, without realizing that this ignorance endangers democracy and freedom.