Politics; not something many teenagers tend to enjoy discussing. But I love talking about politics. Why, you may ask? I enjoy talking about politics because I understand the opportunity that I am gifted with when I am given the chance to cast my vote. I understand the power that I hold, a citizen of this democratic country. But lately, there have been many aspects of politics that I don’t enjoy. Our presidential race for 2016 has become a mockery of the system. Now, I’m not advocating for the system, because there are many aspects of the political system that I would gladly change. Aspects that I believe are frankly corrupt and undemocratic, but despite these problems we face, we have been hit again and again by hate, and dishonesty, and plans to commit war crimes. And boy, do I feel like I just got beat up.
   

As a young person in the political arena, you can probably guess where my political affiliations lie. And as a resident of the greater Seattle area, a generally wealthy, highly educated, white population, it’s not that hard to deduce who I support. And if you happen to be driving behind me on the road, you’ll really begin to understand what I’m feeling. And it comes with some sort of berning sensation. This political race is unlike any other I have witnessed. It’s possible that I’m finally at the age where I begin to care about what happens to the future of my country, but I believe that the candidates have a great role in the mass numbers of people coming out to participate in the process. On both ends of the spectrum you have people saying things that have never been said before. And that appeals to people. New, fresh, and genuine is what people want. And it’s available in both the republican and democratic parties.
   

The party system in of itself is pretty wack, but it’s not changing any time soon. And within this party system, there are people that are pretty wack. Guess who the parties support? If you guessed the wack-o’s you’d be correct! Having the support of the party you’re running under is a big deal. Let’s talk about the democrats first. Media coverage is huge in a presidential race. And the democratic queen, Hillary herself, has tons of it. She also has tons of money from huge corporations, and that might have something to do with it. My bro Bernie, however, has got zip, zilch, nada, from large media coverage. He has rallies with twenty thousand people, and there’s barely a whisper on the wind. The only time he gets coverage is when he’s winning primaries 70-30, and even then it’s short and not so sweet. The media supports big candidates and big money, so it’s not surprising who their absolute favorite candidate is.
   

Donald Drumpf, better known as Donald Trump, has got lots of money. He’s got money shooting out of every orifice at all times, and he’d like you to know. While Bernie and Donald are both saying things that people want to hear, one is filled with hate, and aggression, and the war on the “other”. This whole fight against the other boggles my mind. What seems to me like rampant racism, sexism, and xenophobia, comes across to others as a darn good idea. And let me tell you, those are not people I want to meet. Not only is the entire establishment against his ideas, the entire world is against his ideas. We have become a mockery to the entire globe. Entertaining ideas about building walls and killing the families of terrorists has got the rest of the world questioning our sanity. And so am I. I do not understand how this obvious and blatant hatred has resonated among Americans. Because I feel ashamed when I hear Donald Trump blair his rhetoric and hate speech.
   

The only way to make sure that political change happens is to vote. Not only for president, but for congress too. Because change cannot happen on the back of one person. Vote, and you will make sure that your voice is heard. Because when hundreds of thousands of people say it won’t matter, well guess what, it does matter. Just this year I have joined a program called Youth and Government run through the YMCA. I will have the chance to go to the state capital and debate in the congressional chambers. This program has really initiated my interest in politics and my belief that something has to change. So get out, and get involved, and help stop the hate from enveloping us.