UI students should be politically proactive, not just reactive

On election night in November 2016, current President Donald Trump became the U.S. president elect. Reactions across the country varied drastically.

On college campuses nationwide, videos of students protesting in anger surfaced across social media. Videos of supporters celebrating became public.

On both sides of the political spectrum, the reactions were clear. But not as clear on the University of Idaho campus.

Pro-Trump signs lived in some dorm windows, while other anti-Trump signs popped up in select residence hall windows. But aside from the scattered signs, campus was dead quiet.

College students are well-known to be very politically active and vocal — to the point it has become somewhat of a cliche.

The same does not seem to apply at the University of Idaho.

Of course there are politically outspoken students here. Of course there are students who are politically-minded and consistently engaged with politics, both local and national.

While we are sure to see a rise in political awareness with the quickly approaching 2020 presidential elections, political groups on campus are becoming non-existent. Moscow is not a blue blimp within a red state. We are not red or blue, we are just absent.

Many students pride themselves in the activism seen on campus during events such as the Toxic Matriarchy event last spring or the anti-abortion demonstration this fall, but the true act of political involvement has been steadily declining.

During these events, there is a large portion of students willing to express their anger with the topic. Conversations erupt campus wide and everyone seems to have an opinion, but once the event is over, campus is just as quiet as it was before anything happened. The students move on but nothing has changed — and if this is to continue, nothing will change.

Political participation should not start with activism, but rather conversations about our stances on topics.

It’s great to have opinions and to know where your political views align, but if students simply voice their opinions without acting on them, there really isn’t a point in having an opinion in the first place.

Activism is a reaction to issues we consider unjust, rather than active action to change the systems that created them. Students who showed up to protest the Toxic Matriarchy should be applauded, but where was the group talking about women’s rights and gender equality consistently before the event? While it was a conversation that was sparked both during and after the event, the campus would have benefited from an extensive conversation ahead of time.

But discussing these ideas and beliefs does not seem to come easy to many. When it comes to politics, we are in an age where speaking your mind is more likely to cause a relationship-ending fight as opposed to generating a productive conversation. With this mentality, we have been running in a never ending circle of emotional reaction and silence.

If people would actually communicate their beliefs, if we actually took the time to look at our political systems and how they operate, communities would be able to address the issues so many people claim to care about.

Maybe there wouldn’t be a need for public demonstrations.

The fact of the matter is if citizens aren’t willing to voice their opinions by voting or participating in other forms of political conversations, why should anyone listen after the fact?

-Editorial Board

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