A traumatized and angry crowd of Stoneman Douglas High School students, teachers and families filled the town hall in Parkland, Florida to confront politicians on the issues of gun control in America. A student who lost his sister in the shooting put his emotions aside to ask the politicians an important question with an answer that he hopes everyone will really consider.
A 46 percent approval rating of our democracy circles the minds of politicians everywhere, according to Pew Research Center, and even though the people shout their needs and demands for things like gun control through votes and picket signs, little seems to change.
This brings many to ask the important question that the grieving student brought forward: is our democracy broken?
Student Governing Association president Connor McGury, ’18, said “I don’t think the democracy as a whole is broken, because I think if it was, then we would see less people speaking out against certain things as if they didn’t have the power to make a change. However, I think it’s disappointing that elected officials aren’t doing what the people they represent want them to do.”
Republican Madeline Klepec, ’18, answered the same question but gave a slightly different view: “I would say yes because each party is so polarized that there’s clearly a divide. It’s evident through our political parties that it’s not cohesive… they’re basing their assumptions on things that aren’t really political stances like taxes or abortion.”
The state and trust in the government have not been positive for decades now, but there are small steps that can be taken to regain the trust in U.S citizens.
Klepec said that the current people in office like President Donald Trump need to be more open-minded with new ideas that aren’t his.
“We need someone in power that can actually unify the divide which I don’t think (Trump) is doing,” she said.
McGury also added, “I think we’ve gotten into a habit of not listening as much. I think there should be more town halls for people to voice their opinions and not in a city council setting, more of an open dialogue like you saw in Parkland.”
The tragedy in Parkland has also brought forward the loud voice of millennials and some say that they are showing a more non-partisan view.
Political science professor Dr. Suzanne Chod explained the truth of millennial views. “While some would like to think millennials are less partisan, I have not observed this to be true. Partisanship is social and psychological. It feels rooted in our DNA. In fact, research suggests Republicans and Democrats think and process information differently. It can, in fact, be biological to some extent. It is hard to break.”
