My five questions were as follows:
- Do you believe that a large federal government with greater powers is better for the interests of the people than a weaker federal government with greater state powers?
- What constitutional right is most important to you in your everyday life?
- What was the primary influence in shaping your political views?
- What is the primary resource you use to get news and how does it affect your political perspective?
- How do your news sources shape your perspective of the war on Israel?
I choose my father, the pastor of the church I attend, and a friend I have never “talked politics” with to answer these questions. Their responses are transcribed below.
My dad responded to the first question that a stronger state government would be more positive, as there is a large disconnect between the federal government and their knowledge of what a state does and doesn’t need. Politics at the state level can assist better with community requirements. Next, he said that the most important amendment to his daily life was the First or Second (the five freedoms and the right to bear arms.) The First Amendment is, of course, vital to everyday existence because you can “drive, work, quit, and [get up] a free individual every day.” My dad considered the Second Amendment to be important because he is enabled to defend himself against people or animals (he hunts frequently.) Third, he stated that his parents and Christianity were the most influential forces on his political perspective. Next, he stated that his primary news sources would be the radio and the Internet. The radio is fairly limited as far as diverse perspectives go, however, which is why he more frequently turns to the Internet–the web is more helpful with obtaining multiple views. Finally, in regards to the war on Israel, my dad answered that the news hasn’t really affected his perspective; the Internet, again, was the primary resource of pure information but didn’t shape his view. Rather, the Bible and history were the primary sources that affected my dad’s outlook on the war.
The second person I talked to was my pastor, Jason. His answer to whether federal or state governments should be stronger was the same as my dad’s; states are better connected to the people and have a greater interest and understanding of the community than a large, federal government. The most important amendment in Pastor Jason’s life was freedom of speech or freedom of religion. This is because those particular rights play an enormous role in his life as a pastor and sharing the gospel. The most influential forces on his political views have been God’s word and what the Bible says. Ergo, he will support the politicians or policies that match up with what the faith teaches. As for the third question, Pastor Jason’s primary news source is, again, the Internet. In order to get a more accurate picture of what’s truly happening in this polarized, disinformed age, he pulls news from both sides of the aisle, receiving a more balanced view of what people are thinking. In answer to my fifth question, he used the Internet again as his source of news for the Israeli-Hamas war. The pastor tries to pull news from both liberals and conservatives to see what they are promoting; seeing people on both sides supporting Israel gives a much clearer view of events than watching just one or the other.
My third candidate was a friend whom I had never spoken with about politics. To my first question, she said that a federal government limited to the powers given it in the Constitution would be better for the interests of the people. This way, the power of individuals would be more greatly weighted, which was the original intent of the Constitution–it was designed to keep the federal government in check and stop the overreaching of a central power. She next answered that the most important Constitutional right was the entire system of checks and balances that keep America from becoming a police-state or dictatorship. The most important amendment on the Bill of Rights would likely be freedom of speech. When asked about what influences shaped her political views, my friend replied that her upbringing and access to the original Constitution were the most important impacts to her outlook. She stated, “You learn some [new] things when reading the primary source before delving into the commentary.” Her background also featured strongly in creating her base view of how politics functions and how they should function. Fourth, she surprisingly said that she does not actively seek news of any sort; when she stumbles across news, it is usually from a mainstream source on YouTube. Leading into that, therefore, news of course did not really affect her perspective on the Israelite war. Thus, she just took the disturbance as a fact of what happened, making no inferences as to why the attack occurred or what the politics are.
This assignment was interesting. None of my conversations exceeded fifteen minutes, but I was able to ask questions of people whose answers I was legitimately unsure of. I dislike talking about politics and government with anyone but my mom, so this experience of branching out into unknown territory was definitely good for me. I think that this assignment should be used for students in the future. It helps people to think about politics in a more specific way and form questions that may be vaguely lingering in the back of their minds, or to discuss aspects of government they are struggling with. The conversations available through this assignment could help them get real answers and also develop logic and critical thinking.