by Nathan Hunt |

The polls are in, and by now we all know who the next President of the United States will be until 2016. It is crazy to think that four years ago, I was sitting in my 8th grade Social Studies class, chatting with friends, pondering who would win the presidential election that we never thought would affect us. Yet, in the past term, there have been many decisions made that will shape our lives. However, in this historic election, it directly affected me because I had the privilege of being able to vote.

Do not fret, I am not going to go off on some rant about politics and what political party I prefer, but I will voice my opinion on one subject. My generation is very content with being uninformed. The phrase, “ignorance is bliss,” defines most young adults these days. Choosing to keep up with the Kardashians rather than the world news that is happening right outside our window has become a norm. It is so crucial for all kids my age to be knowledgeable of current events. It might not be as exciting as Kourtney having her baby or as funny as Kim parading around in different wigs, but it is very wise to be able to know the topics of critical points of discussion that affect us, such as the economy, health care and student loans.

So while I am hoping that every 18-year-old went out and performed their civic duty by voting on November 6, I know that this is a very naïve thought on my part. I cannot make every person care about the issues, but I at least wanted to express to them the importance of it. We fought for this right and it should be demonstrated with pride every election. So I ask you this, regardless if you are of age or not, do you care? And if not, why not try changing the channel from E! to CNN the next Saturday when you are bored and see what you might learn.