I am 16 years old and I don’t know the first thing about politics. Whenever I read the newspaper or watch the news and they’re talking about politics, I have no clue what they’re talking about. However, I WANT TO know what they’re talking about, but I don’t know where to start and I want to be able to have an intelligent conversation with someone about politics in the future. How do most people become knowledgeable about politics? Do you think if I read the newspaper everyday, it would start to click? Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.
On July 6, 2010, In Uncategorized, by admin
I am 16 years old and I don’t know the first thing about politics. Whenever I read the newspaper or watch the news and they’re talking about politics, I have no clue what they’re talking about. However, I WANT TO know what they’re talking about, but I don’t know where to start and I want [...]
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First of all, I applaud your interest in politics. I wish more people your age would like to learn about it. Even though I’m a republican, this answer is honest and without bias. Start watching FoxNews in the evening, that’s how I got hooked on politics. It’s the only news source that has both sides to an arguement, and allows you to make up your own mind. Liberals curse them for being “fair and balanced” for some reason. If you start reading the paper and watching network news, make sure you catch even a little FoxNews. I suggest the O’Reily Factor, he’s very fair and I think you’d like him. Good luck.
Very good question, and you sound sincere. First, read George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal farm. They are short reads, but the political wisdom is priceless.
Then don’t listen to the media or the government. Unfortunately these days, the gov’t just gives the stories and the language to the media to publish. In effect, the media has become a propaganda arm of the gov’t.
Understand motives, not stories. See who benefits when things happen. Is it you? Probably not. See who contributes the most money to who. One of the best indicators is who is paying who to do what, and unfortunatley, they try to keep this secret.
There are always 2 aspects to most political events: the hidden motive where someone profits or gains more power, and the lie fed to the public to keep them obedient.
Do not listen to words – understand the actions and their consequences. Politicians are practiced liars, and they are very very, good. That’s why some actors become politicians.
Always seek independent confirmation of a story when possible.
Those in power want to keep it that way: with them in power and you an obedient, hard working plebe.
This is a start anyways. Email me at lip11@yahoo.com if you want more correspondence.
This is the wrong forum for you. Educate yourself. Great thing to do if you are close enough is go to your state capitol and visit the house and senate while in session. Just watch and listen. Read, but not just the newspaper, books also. So you are ready to form an intelligent opinion read both sides of the issues not just left or right, the same with books, both sides. Talk to adult family members and friends , get their opinions (but keep an open mind), remember you want to study issues, not be told what your opinion should be. You can call Legislative Reference at the state and I believe federal level and request a copy of the different bills, they are sometimes difficult to understand , but give it a try. Choose a cause that you are interested in your community and get involved, if there are any public hearings go, listen and take notes if it helps. Be careful with the Internet, so many of the web sites are slated one way or the other, remember allot of what you see is individual opinion and not necessarily fact. Hope some of this helps. Exercise caution if someone offers help but is very negative about one side or the other, remember you are just starting and in fairness to you, no one should
try to “convert” you, just give you ideas.
Read the paper, watch c-span, listen to talk radio, go to local government meetings, watch news networks, and talk to the older crowd (make sure it is the smart older crowd, age does not alway make wisdom). There are always local political groups that you can also attend. Also take history classes, understanding why certain policies are in place will help you a lot and knowing what has happened in the past can give insight to what can happen in the future.
Politics is an old profession and there is a lot to learn. There are many different ideologies that come into play as well. The biggest thing about politics is getting information. A lot of times what you will hear is filtered and it might take a while to inform yourself on a certain issue.
At your age, take time to learn what the issues are and why groups think the way they do. You will be tempted to jump on the first thing that comes along but untill you look for both sides of the arguement, it is hard to make an informed decision on which coarse is best for you.
Ann Coulters Books will teach you how to HATE, and you will find out about the Conservatives, REPUBLICANS (GOP) and how they think Liberals (DEMOCRATS) hate America more than Islamic Terrorists do.
First of all bravo to you for taking an interest because after all it is your future we are talking about. My best advice to you would be to watch C-Span and especially their program Washington Journal. You will definately get both sides of the issue and you can also see the government at work. Think for yourself and form your own opinions. Don’t let anyone bully you into agreeing with them, trust your gut. And as an earlier answerer said follow the money and see who has the most to gain.
um.. watch CNN all day long it works!!!!!!!!
Study your political science textbooks and read like your life depended on it.
Make sure you understand the questions they are trying to “answer,” and listen to a wide range of answers. Compare them and decide which ones make sense. Two or three months later, see if you still have that opinion. Have the courage to change your mind.
Good luck to you …. Now listen to my story… There are a lot of dogs are dying in Iraq bec of the casualties ofwar no one cares about them. My dog was killed by American soldiers just fot the fun of it. …..please ….martha I love you
Check out a website called politics1. Lots of great resources, there. By the way, I agree with the 1st person who responded to this…it is great that you have an interest in politics. More people should have an interest in it at your age. It can lead to some positive changes someday when you can vote and have your say.
Best question of the day.
Read, then read some more. Read lots of history books and biogrophies of politicians. Read the NY Times every Sunday for the rest of your life.
Watch the History and Discovery channels (take everything with a grain of salt)
Continue watching the news, reading the paper, paying attention in school and most of all, don’t be afraid to ask questions. There is no dumb questions, only dumb answers (which you will get a lot of on here).
Vote Republican (always)
Knowledgeable, politics and intelligence are three words that don’t mix. Spend your time on something more useful; like rearranging your sock drawer.
read books
Read newspapers from all sides of the political spectrum, watch political discussions on CNN, BBC World, to get a broad insight of what is happening. Warning: don’t watch too much FOX. (only bimbos and bigots there) And then take EVERYTHING they say with a pinch of salt. Most important: don’t be afraid to form your OWN opinion.
Since your 16 maybe there is a government class availible at your school Take it! When you watch the news be sure to get a good mix of all the channels because some **cough** FOXNEWS **cough** are very one sided. you should also read a variety of newspapers instead of just one for the same reason as watching more that one news channel. Also certain “news” shows like Nacy Grace (the most biased conservative woman alive)shouldn’t necessarily be taken seriously. While there is some good information on those shows you generally have to wade through a lot of BS to get to it. Don’t trust websites that don’t end in .gov or .edu because anyone can post stuff on the web and a lot of it isn’t accurate.
Read 1812 it is about the war and a great read actually I listened to it and I don’t remember the author’s name. After listening to it I became very interested in early politics Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Jackson. Then watch the Daily Show With John Stewart and The Cobert Report on comedy central. You are to young and impressionable for Fox News. The Daily Show will keep politics fun and interesting. If you have the time listen to Rush Limbaugh for the other side of the issues if you can get over is arrogance and drug dependency he is entertaining.
one newspaper, one source, one point of view! one news network, one source, one point of view! that will get you started. if you truly want to become knowledgeable consider several. then things will really click, and you’ll learn what politics are really about.
I think that it is great that you have an interest in politics. My advice to you is to read the newspaper, go to the news websites ( cnn.com, foxnews.com, msnbc.com, etc..), and also watch C-SPAN. If there is a certain issue that you would like to learn about, research it. Learn the facts, and find out the arguments for all sides. In addition, you can also ask someone who is familiar with the issue. Good luck.
For one thing, don’t use this forum as an education tool.
You should run for some kind of office, you’ll be great because you said you don’t know the first thing about politics, and you just describe about 99.9% of the ones who are in politics…go for it, you’ve passed the test……
GET INTO SCHOOL COLLEGE ELECTION. THATS AL U GOTTA DO
just read and try to engage people into political discussion. different perspectives paint a more realistic view of the fact/s.
The best way to learn about “politics” is to learn about what goes on in the world; not just the United States. When you begin to understand how the United States relates to the rest of the world, you’ll begin to understand major aspects of “politics”. I suggest you subscribe to 3 magazines – Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report and Time. These are wonderful starters and will give you much insight into what’s happening in the world.
It is good that you have an interest in politics, but you have to know that the politics in this country are based more on financial motives than on a matter of integrity nowadays, but that’s not to say that all American politicians are crooked and all about the flo, you have to remember that there’s always a few bad with the good, there is however always a great number of folk that actually care about getting the right thing done, both Democrat and Republican. The thing about politics is you have to be able to filter the truth out of the lies, and there is a lot of lies, and you have to try and tell when politicians lie when they say stuff on tv, you can always tell, you just have to pay attention and do your homework about what they are talking about. Now don’t get caught up in that whole party thing because it really distracts people from solving any problems, just pick one that kinda feels right and stand by the stuff that you and your Political party disagree on, just be in the middle and don’t get caught up in all the extremist stuff from either sideor be independent, just make sure you vote, and last but not least watch a whole lotta C-SPAN, it might be a litlle bit boring at first but if you want the true multi- sided face of American politics,and learn the real process and information from people that really work with the information they are questioned on C-SPAN will do the job like they’re supposed to. Also always make sure that the media information that you get from anywhere sounds true and really is verified. Hope you find everything you’re looking for.
do not rely on the mainstream media (network news, newspapers)! read political blogs (Michelle Malkin, Town Hall, Human Events), watch c-span, listen to talk radio and do a little research into the “facts” that you hear to validate the content. then, form your own opinion.
Read .
STAY AWAY FROM THE TV AND NEWSPAPER. Start by listening to 770 am and 570 am. keep an open mind and stay away from the print media. And what ever you do, dont let people tell you what you should think, Listen to the hate in the words that these liberals on this page spew and choose the “right” side
Read the Newspaper every day you can on political stories.
The Chronicle has a good section, on Sundays I think, that is dedicated to National and Political stories or articles. Also read the front page stories.
It is hard to do, or learn to do, but reading the opinion page in the Commentary, opinion and editorial sections is a must. I personally recommend Molly Evans who writes opinion pieces. ( I love Molly Evans’ political opinion pieces.)
I am a Liberal Democrat for your information. I respect Republicans, but those who call themselves Conservative Republicans are mostly worried about money, and neo-con Republicans are always bragging about how smart they are and how dumb everyone else is. Watch this bunch nut-cakes. Neo-Cons claim to support their political ideas with facts, but they are infamous for chanting the same old exaggerations, slogans and mantras. Neo-Cons also can not hear anyone but other Neo-Cons.
I welcome you as a new member of the political junkie crowd, and I warn you that we argue all the time, particularly during this stupid dam Iraq War.
May I suggest listening to right wing talk radio. They are very
biased, but in spite of their views which you may or may not
agree with, these conversations are generally very interesting,
and educational. I do not recommend the left wing radio such as
NPR because they are not nearly as entertaining.
The best teachers in college were the ones with a sense of humor and sensitivity. The ones that made us laugh and cry.
I recommend Sean Hannity(con), Alan Colms(lib), Dennis
Praeger(lib), Hugh Hewitt(con), Michael Savage(con), Larry
Elder(con), Al Rantel(con), Joe Crummy(con, very interesting),
Laura Ingraham(con), Rush Limbaugh (con, but not always
interesting), and if you can get ahold of any book written by
Ann Coulter, voted one the hundred most interesting people
in the USA. Bill O’Reilly is in between, but fun. The shows are
usually on AM radio as opposed to FM. Listen for a least a year,
and I guarantee you will have as many opinions under your belt
as anyone else.
I Corinthians 13;8a, Love never fails!!!!!
I urge you to carefully read every response to your question.
You might notice some very hateful, insulting opinions. They come from people we call LIBERALS. They are easily recognized by their endless assault on the Constitution, the social fabric, freedom, and decency.
Ask any political question, and you’ll notice they use word “Haiburton” regularly while answering.
They’ll call Republicans Nazis, bigots, racists. They’ll say Republicans want everyone (including themselves) to breath polluted air and drink polluted water.
These are the type of people to keep as far away from as possible. They are the “Dark Side” of politics.
continue to read and watch the new. Your age is the best to start learning. Really dig into the books at school. It will come over time even though it may not seem like it sometimes.
read about the forefathers first (or watch a dvd), for the: why are we the united states. read the constitution, watch span on tv & england’s parliment. think your own thoughts about solutions to homelessness, unaffordable medicine, children with out food, shelter or proper clothing, why do people end up in jail, what does it cost to live life & what is fair pay for work preformed. these are the beginnings or social order, or guidelines for law. then legislation, therefore, the making of politics. get a good dictionary! and remember it takes a while to get the lingo and a lifetime to understand. don’t be influenced by others, do your research from many sources (including non-US sources, CBC, europe, asia, ect), to get a rounded picture. good luck. by wanting to know, you are ahead of the pack.
I was never into politics and still don’t get involved in them much. I do have opinions and that is what politics is all about, just your opinion. The only thing you need to watch is, if you choose to voice your opinion, be sure you have the answers (your beliefs) to argue a good argument.
That is all it takes. Opinions.
study
Listen closely kid- but not to most of these ppl. If you do, you are going to end up walking around, just like them, with their heads up their asses. A few ppl on here have some amazing advice and I want to add to them by telling you some very important things:
1. Even though I despise EVERYTHING about the mainstream media (ANY TV or Newspaper on the planet, like CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC, NY Times and all others) I do firmly believe that you need to see what they are saying in order for you to get another side of the story, but don’t EVER believe them unless you can CONFIRM it with your own fact checking!
2. ALWAYS read from independent news sources- if you wanted to be a millionaire, you would read what they read, same thing if you want to know about how the politicians get their “real: news from, check out sites like; lewrockwell.com, globalresearch.ca, naturalnews.com,and thiscantbehappening.net. But I want to strongly suggest that you keep your head up and not get discouraged about what you are going to find out.
There are a lot of bad things going on in the world and history keeps repeating itself over and over in a very crazy cycle. It seems like people would wise up and stop the madness but they are not and it is leading to some bad things for the bad people.
READ, READ, READ BOOKS! Don’t get upset when you start to form an opinion, there is ALWAYS good things to come of it. Knowledge is power and lack of knowledge is lack of power. The more information you have, the more successful you will be and the better you will be able to survive.
I strongly suggest (besides Orwell’s 1984) to get books like “Virus of the Mind”, “The Biology of Belief”, “Give ME Liberty- An American History 2nd Seagull Edition by Eric Foner, “The Grand Design” by Steven Hawking, and “Spontaneous Evolution” by Dr. Bruce Lipton.
Also; watch these documentaries: Zeitgeist, The Beautiful Truth, Waiting for Superman, The Business of Being Born, Food Matters, Super-size Me, In Plane Sight, Loose Change and NEVER let people tell you what or how to think- just make sense out of ALL of the information that you can possibly get!
Youtube has a LOT of info and free documentaries as does google video.
Take care and keep people informed!
Watch as much as you can about the Federal Reserve, Coca Cola, Big Banks, Agriculture, Big Pharma (the medical and pharmaceutical industry- esp. about vaccines and other forced medications that are unsafe).
Just educate yourself as much as possible! Believe what you want to believe, but don’t ever just sit in front of the tv and buying in to all that crap- most of America is walking around with blinders on, thinking they have some inside scoop and they are downright CLUELESS!