America was founded on the basic principles of freedom of speech and democracy. However, as of recently, the rise of mass media has contributed to possible voting for the wrong reason. Here I have an image of my laptop sticker that says “I voted.” While some people get the sticker because they are proud that they performed their civic duty, I wonder if others vote merely for “social clout” to show off to friends. I feel that many people in our generation choose to vote because it is trendy or will somehow improve their image and how others perceive them. While I acknowledge that it is important that they are still actually doing the action of voting, I feel that intention here matters. Throughout much of our discussions, we have talked about intention when one is performing actions, and I began to wonder what the Founding Fathers would think of us now if they were to see how the United States operates today?
I definitely agree with what you’re saying and like how you’re bringing in this new perspective on this topic. Yes, what you said is true that there are people who would do it solely for “clout.” However, I do believe that a majority of people in our generation are sincerely worried about our future’s and who has the power to affect them. I’d like to think the Founding Fathers wouldn’t be disappointed in us, yet, I could definitely be wrong.
I completely agree with you on the topic of intention in terms of voting. I think that voting should be a duty done for building and improving the future of a country rather than a chore that has to be done to maintain a system. A vote is a voice for a person to shape the future and, like you said, doing it because it’s trendy or whatnot is very short-sighted and does not add anything positive to a community. I believe that intention and well-educated decisions show their effects in the outcomes of elections.