Race and the Youth Vote

Is race a deciding factor in the upcoming presidential elections? Should it be?

Last week I asked these questions to my fellow students within the City University of New York’s, City College campus. Most of the 30 students polled seemed to feel uncomfortable answering such a question; others gave interesting responses. Overall, most of the students felt that race shouldn’t be a factor in deciding which candidate the nation puts into the Whitehouse. These answers forced me to think more deeply into why it shouldn’t be and I couldn’t help but find myself thinking that people didn’t say what they truly felt and that these students seemed to stray away from answering the real question: Is race a deciding factor?

What are the qualities we look for in a candidate when deciding who we elect into the Whitehouse? A leader. A mediator. Someone they can look up to and also relate to? I believe that one wants to feel that the candidate has similar values—the same idea of family, how religion impacts life, and how they view the notion of when life begins. But most importantly, an understanding of the importance of being able to agree with the certain ideals of the candidate that will later impact decision making. If, in this classification, the issue of race is something that has been experienced and therefore has become part of life, then I believe that it should be more acceptable to admit to.

Why did an overwhelming number of students, who answered the questionnaire, reply ‘No’ to whether race plays a factor in votes of this election? Maybe the students who felt uncomfortable answering ‘yes’ to that question were the ones too uncomfortable answering questions about race or politics or any questions towards a poll, at all. Maybe some of these students would have voted ‘yes’ and felt that in admitting the truth, that race does play a part in the voting process, they were racist. Admitting that race is an issue is one step closer towards a society where race is unnoticed. Obviously that world is far from what we live in today, so as a nation, we must realize race if our goal is to expunge it. Where does the level of acceptance end and the notion of a color-blind society begin?

People too quickly hide the fact that race exists at all. By claiming race as an issue in today’s world—people fear that this admittance implies some kind of racism—which it does, but only because race is an issue.

If that is the case, by admitting to yourself that race does not have a factor in how you decide your vote, you may be denying what is most inherently relatable: the notion of race. If denying yourself to believe that race has a factor in how people vote, you may very well be denying your past. A fellow classmate of mine, T.Chin, remarked how she liked both candidates but said, “I felt that I would be betraying my race for not voting for him [Barack].” And I think what she had to say, might feel unimportant or self-consumed, but it really does matter. Another fellow student, Tsahia Hobson, felt that to her, Obama’s race was a perk, “I am proud to see someone with his qualities running for office, the fact that he’s black, makes me even prouder. I think that there are cultural similarities that I more identify with Barack than Hillary.”

Many people are trying to come off as having no bias and by doing so, race is more of an issue than if it were out on the table as a topic, just as casually as if it were their health care plan. However, not even that can be straightforward. Where were these racially biased students gaining this stance? What accounted for their molding their beliefs? And, how much of the media drove these students to build their views on politics? The outlets for expression are so vast that any young person can gain the interest like any trusted voice. A Thai American student, Kim, said: “I visit the Gawker blog everyday.” Gawker ; Media Gossip and Pop Culture Round the Clock, has a very large influence on young people. The immersion of political coverage within the frame of fashion and celebrity life allows the busy up-to-date young person keep forward thinking on politicians. Starting with the poll, I wanted to gain an idea of what students’ feelings were and where they were getting their information. An astounding concept: most young people watch television. Each of the students I polled commented that they get some of their political news from TV. During commercial breaks of America’s Next Top model and Lost, the youth may feel inclined to check in with CNN or MSNBC. Are people bringing their ideas into the media, or is the media bringing their ideas to the people? That answer quickly came to me, as I scanned through the mass of political vlogs the youth have embraced as outlet of expression more than ever before: YouTube. No exceptions are made whether the subject is popular music or politicians. Everything is discussed and people don’t hold anything back.

There are also many specifically political directed vlog like CitizenTube; YouTube’s Political Vlog. With over 5,000 subscribers; CitizenTube and many other youth-focused vlogs may become an integral source of political news for the under 25-age group. Steve Grove of CitizenTube recently released a video that questions: “Can YouTube improve politics?” Well, with numbers of interest like that—I think it can. The “Obama Girl” on her Vlog “Barely Political” have over 22,000 subscribers and she was featured on Saturday Night Live in a spoof on a political debate. Politics also crosses its way into music like with David Bowie’s song “Changes” being turned into a music video of politicians and their hopes for change. Also a speech by Barack Obama given at the New Hampshire primary was turned into a music video with noted celebrities like: Black Eyed Peas' front-man, will.i.am, Scarlet Johansen and socially active musician Bob Dylan’s son Jesse Dylan as the director. With the immersion of the digital world and everything at people’s fingertips at any given moment—the perceptions of politicians is being molded way before political events and in much more than just news stations.

I am a 23 year old woman of German- Italian heritage living with my boyfriend in a closet sized apartment in the East Village of New York City. For a while of the primary season I was a Clinton believer (note I said ‘Clinton’ not just ‘Hillary’). The only president I truly remember in the Whitehouse, before I was able to vote, was Bill Clinton and as far as I knew—the country was going great. But how far was I really looking into that at the age of 11? When I was 15, the election proceeded to interest me into the controversial, backstabbing life of governmental politics and by the time the outrage of the popular vote occurred in 2000, the country had another full fledged, mad, and disappointed liberal on their hands, as if the nation really needed another. I couldn’t wait until 4 years had passed so that with my help the nation could put the right person into office… unfortunately the right person wasn’t John Kerry. I can’t help but think that this vote will be different. There is something about my fellow young people involved in this election; there is a fire behind them.

The influence of media has created a monster out of me and as some might say: “I have been drinking the Kool-Aid”, because I too believe that “Yes We Can”. Maybe it’s because of the overwhelming young spirited strong campaign that he is running. Or maybe it’s because as Bill Maher put it: “this country owes a bigger debt to the blacks than it does to women”. But I am looking at race—through everything… and I want a black man to be our next president.