Despite the school’s incessant efforts to stimulate interest for the upcoming elections with speakers like Evan Thomas ’69 and Vanessa Kerry ’95, I feel there is a general sense on campus that politics is nerdy and ignorance is cool. Drawing personal attack because I fail to conform to this campus indifference, I have felt the sting of every nickname from a “politico” to a “political nerd.” While I am wholly unapologetic for both my personality and my interests, it is impossible not to respond to the weird facial expressions I receive when friends introduce me to somebody with the statement, “That’s Yoni. If you haven’t noticed he’s obsessed with politics, kind of weird like that.” To say the least, I have come to the conclusion that being a 15 year-old student whose 50 Cent posers have been replaced by Senate campaign signs is not exactly considered “cool.” The absence of interest among Andover students about the upcoming presidential election is upsetting. I am not faulting my peers for lacking detailed knowledge of the different policies each candidate brings to the table. What I am accusing the students of is apathy with regard to the American system. The idea behind elections is not that a Democrat or a Republican wins, but rather that the citizens have control over the future course of America. It may be a premature assertion, but the upcoming election may very well be the most important election of our lifetimes. Not since the Civil War has this country been more polarized. There rarely exists an election that is fought on such critical issues like the war in Iraq, and the policies established by the victor will be critical in determining the world in which we grow up. The main reason for Andover apathy about this election is the misguided belief that students can neither participate in nor affect its outcome. Last weekend, in response to a heated discussion of politics in Ryley, Billy Draper ’07 remarked to the amusement of all concerned “This is going to make Yoni cry. Sorry Yoni, you can’t vote.” Despite the humor of the situation, the comment revealed a shocking misconception. Upon asking students why they have little interest in the election, almost everyone mentions the fact that they are not eligible to vote. In my opinion, Andover students have a very parochial view that they are helpless in determining who our next president is. The very idea that students are powerless in affecting the election is contrary to the “can do” attitude of PA students. It is important to understand that teens our age can involve themselves in the political process, even while lacking the eligibility to vote. If a teen supports a specific candidate, volunteering for the campaign will yield results that are far more valuable than the one vote he would have cast. Through phone banking, canvassing door-to-door, or doing drudge work in the office, I ended my summer feeling that, as the youngest intern in one of the hottest Senate races in the country, I had constructively turned my political passion into votes. This Sunday a group of 47 Phillips Academy students will be campaigning door-to-door, visiting potential New Hampshire voters. In a state where a couple thousand votes could decide who wins the state, we are doing our part in determining the outcome. As the much anticipated election nears, it is essential that we all remember that in the American political system, empowerment is extended to all ages. We Andover students may not be able to vote, but we can still be heard.
