Blog Post 2

    

Blog Post #2

     

    For our second group project we were tasked to tackle a more political topic and discuss in depth why the coming election is so important. I was actually quite surprised at the amount of progressive thinking my class did considering we live in a very conservative state. My group was tasked with the topic of gender equality and I had to research and present its history to the class. 

In the time when we were doing our slides, I noticed that most of my teammates/ classmates were already pretty set and confident in their ideas. I am truthfully very glad that my classmates are so progressive as it is my belief that being conservative and holding such old values so close is not healthy for our progress as a species.

    When we discussed how we viewed our society and what people thought of certain laws and fundamentals is when I felt the most interest. I love hearing what people think and how their brain captures and comprehends different situations, especially societal ones. Although some people shared some, in my opinion, slightly ignorant words, it never crossed a line of offensiveness and our conversations as a class were kept civil and comfortable. It truly felt so refreshing to tackle political and social topics in a manner that was civil, nowadays any whisper of politics in any setting outside your own home is enough for some people to start a fight. Whether one side is calling the other communist or fascist, it seems the US is more divided than ever between our two political parties. 

The way that some of my classmates were so passionate about some topics was interesting to observe as I did not expect such a young demographic to be so informed. With the access to information readily available to us, it is one of humanities more marvelous feats that we can form so many progressive and forward thinking opinions and views at such a young age. My only concern for our future is the heavy use of algorithms that plagues our social medias and almost sedates us with what we want to see rather than what we should be seeing, as it can be very damaging to a political environment that is already so full of misinformation.

    I also appreciated our professor's support of open discussion and criticism of our society's values. Because of this transparency, we were all able to consider our opinions and realize how important it is to question outmoded conventions. These kinds of conversations, in my opinion, are vital because they promote empathy and understanding, two qualities that are critical to the advancement of society. I learned from the experience that discussing issues like gender equality in a classroom not only widens our horizons but also fortifies our determination to effect significant change in the future.

    This experience has strengthened my sense of obligation to keep up to date, take part in these discussions, and favorably impact our society's overall development as the election draws near. In addition to improving my comprehension of the current problems, the new perspectives I have acquired will motivate me to continue advocating for equality and justice outside of the classroom. In the end, initiatives like these highlight the importance of education as a means of dispelling myths, spurring reform, and advancing a more just society.