Chapters 5&6

"Many young people feel alienated from community affairs, lacking skills and interest to participate in formal community processes and decision making. Many young people, failing to see 'any direct link between...government...and their own lives' do not register to vote" (Lankshear 79; ibid.: 9, 14).

I was one of these young people that this quote is referencing. I did not vote until the last presidential election, and honestly, I didn't care that much about it then. I have always felt a disconnect with politics. I remember learning in school about how many terms the Senate has, how many people are in the House, and the age limit for the President, but what I don't remember ever learning about are the issues that politicians address. I don't remember ever being given the opportunity to debate my views on things like immigration and abortion, and how my views relate to politicians running for office. I was never taught to think for myself or think about the issues they believe in. No, I simply voted Republican because my parents did. Now, though, I read about the politicians and where they stand on issues that I feel strongly about. Now, I still vote Republican, but I do so because of how I think and feel about certain things.

(I had to put this here in reference to the discussion on empowerment in Chapter 6.)


I feel like the word "empower: is one of those filler words that people use in vague mission statements. "We will empower our students!" That is great, but ow are you going to do that? I agree with the angle that is mentioned in Chapter 6 about the word having too much meaning (Lankshear 104). The problem is that when it is used too much and in too many contexts, it takes away from the word and makes it mean less.