Introducing The Next Generation Of Leaders And Thinkers

The American Responsibility: Using Your Voice

Responsibility to yourself means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and naming for you; it means learning to respect and use your own brains and instincts; hence, grappling with hard work.

― Adrienne Rich (American Poet, Essayist & Feminist, 1929 – 2012)

As members of a society in which we are given a voice and every opportunity to speak for ourselves, it is our responsibility to do so. We should not and cannot let ourselves live in silence out of apathy and negligence. Often, when living the luxurious and laid-back lifestyle that a first-world country such as the United States provides, we ignore the inequality, violence, and injustice that plagues other countries, simply because it is easier to do so. Not only do we actively choose to turn a blind eye to the conflicts of other nations, but many of us also turn a blind eye to those of our own. Too many citizens choose not to vote actively in our government’s decisions, knowing fully well that these matters have a direct impact on their lives! This negligence cannot continue; we must all take responsibility of the voices we have been given, because to choose not to do so would be to choose a life of ignorance.

     Our nation is governed based on democratic principles rooted in equality and equal say for all men and women; essentially, it is a form of government that gives power to the people. This power to vote on elected officials, laws, and other decisions regarding the well-being of the American people, is often abused, simply because citizens choose to ignore the power they have been given. We are given the opportunity to be active members of our government and vote on our president, senators, representatives, governors, mayors, and amendments to state constitutions; all of these decisions are important because their outcomes have an impact on the daily lives of American people. Yet, people don’t seem to care. In our most recent presidential election, a mere 57.5% of voting-age citizens voted. It is baffling that almost half of the American people chose not to participate in such an important decision, simply because they could not be bothered. Democracy is dependent on the people, and as members of a society that allows us to have a voice, it is our duty, our responsibility, our obligation, to take our lives into our own hands. Someone who lets others do their thinking for them because it is burdensome’ or ‘difficult’ to form their own well-thought out opinions and views, is someone who does not understand what a privilege it is just to be able to think for themselves.

We must recognize that being able to use our voices is a privilege that not everybody can afford. Many nations across the world in which citizens are not granted this privilege. China, for example, institutes a form of government strikingly similar to that of a dictatorship; it is governed by authoritative rules that cannot be questioned by the people and are enforced through the use of violence. This government is so restrictive that people are punished for speaking out against government cruelty and injustice. China also features the most censorship of internet in the entire world, even more than Saudi Arabia. There, officials imprison  “pro-democracy advocates who have used the Internet for political purposes” and ban citizens from posting “information that is detrimental to the honor and interests of the state” or that “undermines national unification”. (www.pbs.org)

    In comparison to the harsh and restrictive ways of government officials across the globe, Americans are fortunate just to be granted the freedoms they are. We should not abuse it by tolerating laziness and ignorance. As American citizens, we must take ownership of our voices. We must take responsibility of our brains. We must think for ourselves. It is our responsibility to recognize the power we have in our hands, and utilize it to the fullest extent. Though it is easier to coast through our comfortable and cushioned lives without caring about conflicts and decisions that seem ‘over our heads’, we cannot afford to do so. We must be active participants in our society, because it’s success relies on our participation. We must be informed and aware; is our responsibility not only to ourselves, but also to our society. The power to be able to use your voice is a privilege, not a right, and we must recognize and respect this privilege. Think for yourself or be willfully ignorant- the choice is yours.

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