Political Engagement: A Guide to Caring & Thinking About Politics
There were so many news stories this week, from Asian-American hate to transgender sports to Georgia's voting rights law; but, even as a political person, I had a hard time actually caring about them. So, I introduce six questions to have more focus and sensitivity in your political perspective: who, what, when, where, why, and how do you care?
1. Who? Ground yourself in reality by defining a clear subject, revealing the people behind the politics; attention is the most powerful thing.
2. What? Come up with a bucket list of three issues AT MOST; caring about 20 things really means caring about 0.
3. When? Make sure that your priorities aren't fickle, determined by popular opinion.
4. Where? Just as with who, ground yourself (literally) by pinpointing a physical location, local, state, national, or international.
5. Why? Which value or interest is motivating you? Make sure your standpoints are in line with the values you espouse.
6. How? Devote time to caring; research on proper sources, thoroughly, and make a difference in ways beyond clicks.
Very helpful resource on how to care: https://www.nytimes.com/guides/year-of-living-better/how-to-participate-in-government