Give me a real candidate, not a reality TV star
Contributed by: Tiffany Fitzpatrick, communication major
“Because I said so, that’s why.”
For a child, it’s the worst response a parent could offer. It explains nothing and is essentially a quietening display of authority. For a parent, it’s a hidden ace – a way to evade questions you can’t quite answer or those with answers you’re not quite ready enough to give.
As children, most of us had moments where we finally broke and stopped accepting parental authority as a valid answer. (Okay, some of us only had those moments when we reached adulthood – that’s okay, too. This is a judgement-free readership zone.)
So why is it that, as adults, we’re willing to accept that exact same answer from our political candidates? The candidates who keep giving us the same non-answers and insisting that the “authority voice” must be good enough.
We had to accept it from our parents. Largely because parenthood isn’t an elected position, but also because it’s – honestly – just an entry-level gig. There has to be some wiggle room and avoidance built into parenting simply because it’s a learn-as-you-go thing.
Running a country? Not so much something you should learn as you go. I’m going to take a wild stance here and say it’s even something that should come with prerequisites – things such as critical thinking skills, education, experience and the ability to make flexible decisions, reevaluating them as new information comes in.
There is no one, short of an actual deity taking corporeal form and appearing to all humankind, who could say “because I said so” and (possibly) resolve any of the issues our nation is currently facing.
Candidates shouldn’t be allowed to make sweeping claims about everything they’ll change on their first day in office. Mostly because it’s not actually possible for them to follow through with the promises. More importantly, candidates should voluntarily refrain from making such promises because they know (or should know) that they’re empty from the moment they’re spoken.
I want a candidate who holds himself or herself to a higher ethical standard than the everyday citizen. I want a candidate who believes in the foundation the United States has been built upon but who recognizes the need for a government to adapt with its people.
Give me a candidate who refuses to participate in the flashy, reality-television style politics – one who does their level best to speak the truth and make informed decisions. More importantly, give me a community of peers who will rise above our generational apathy and refuse to let such a candidate fade into the background behind the “Dance Moms” rendition of the 2016 presidential primaries.
