Many lost it across popular social media channels, championing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as the bearer of the final word in what seems to be charged meeting in the White House. President Trump sits on the other side of the room, pouting. Some view the photo as being so powerful, that after President Trump spitefully tweeted it, the hashtag #PelosiOwnsTrump gains traction and suddenly Nancy Pelosi is trending.
Our Democracy is at state and need more than counterproductive imagery, we need more than Nancy Pelosi, we need more than an impeachment inquiry. The press needs to begin feeling the urgency to report the facts. For that to happen, we need to wake up. We, as citizens and as readers need to start letting the media know that we care about the truth again. That means improving our civic engagement as a nation.
The United States is one of the few developed countries with an abysmal voter turnout across all types of governmental elections. However, we began to see the potential for change in 2016. In fear of having a President and a new majority party that may not reflect their needs, many saw the election results in 2016 as a call to action, particularly young people. Approximately 20% of Americans have indicated that they will be more likely to participate in some type of political action.
The important word here is action. As we look at the political unrest in places like Haiti, Syria or even lack of basic human needs like water in Michigan, it points to an issue of care and that we need more of it. Time and time again, our political institutions, regardless of party ideology, have shown that they are capable of turning the legislative blind eye to important policies to pursue interest groups’ agendas. Through paying better attention to our communities, through taking a civic active role in our own lives, we can change the trajectory of this country, and no absent-minded political imagery is going to fix that.
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