Many people know there are three things you don’t talk about at family gatherings: money, religion and politics. But what about in your day-to-day life? What exactly makes politics so bad to talk about with peers. In day-to-day life, some people may feel that politics need to be talked about.

“I think that there’s this sort of stigma around politics nowadays where especially students are afraid to express their political opinions because they’re afraid to be ridiculed or put down for having certain views,” Vildana Korkaric (11) said.

This stigma that students feel when presenting their opinions on politics may be common, but there are ways to increase their confidence when it comes to this topic, one of which includes getting more involved in politically-related clubs and events.

“I’d say that I’m very active on social media when it comes to politics. I’m also in political clubs and I involve myself outside of school in political matters,” Korkaric said. “I’m in Youth and Government as well, and I’m currently running for governor in that club as well. I’m just very open about my opinions, and I’m willing to discuss them with anyone that asks.”

No matter how many clubs students can join or how active in politics students are, it has to be up to the students to be open about their own views and it has to be something that they want to talk about. Some students, like Clark Bader (11), wish to share their opinions more openly but don’t feel like they can talk about it as openly as they want. 

“We should talk about it. We should talk about it because our ideas are important, and we need to discuss it so kids are aware and well informed about their future and their government,” Bader said.

For students, high school is often known for being a place filled with judgment and where teenagers struggle to fit in, so it would make sense for some students to be nervous about sharing their opinions and beliefs if they feel as though they would be criticized for sharing such thoughts. However, some students feel that the best way to overcome this is by not letting the fear stop them from discussing politics in the first place.

“I think that even if you have a completely different political view from someone that you should still be able to have conversations with them and be able to be friends with them,” Korkaric said. “I don’t see why that should be able to divide people entirely.”