NationStates Jolt Archive

ok, heres the deal. My high school is up in like the worst part of down, and is filled with many poverty stricken minorities, so naturally, it is quite a liberal school...(ok debate this if you want, but for now just accept that the school is mostly liberal)

anyway, I'm thinking that if a hypothetical candidate for a student-body president were to talk about more than just raising money for Prom or other dances, and talked also about their views as a liberal, how we need to help promote equality, and raise minimum wage, etc, then they would get more of the minority/poverty kid's vote.

Seems like common sence to me, but it doesn't seem like anyone is agreeing with me...so I'm putting up a poll to see a greater number of people's responce.

It's a good idea in my opinion. It should help to get more young people envolved with politics and maybe someday will held raise voter turnout for real elections. And it's interesting to hear other people's points of view.

promote equality, sure. Minimum wage...its a high school election, you have no control over wages, and therefore have no reason to address it except to cover the fact that you have no actual platform to do something worthwhile

promote equality, sure. Minimum wage...its a high school election, you have no control over wages, and therefore have no reason to address it except to cover the fact that you have no actual platform to do something worthwhile

I'm more saying talking about those ideals not to do anything specific, but to futher the agenda of liberal politics.

Is voting mandatory?

If not, in my experience student elections have dreadful voter turnout. As such, the best way to win is to mobilise some block of voters that isn't typically served by the candidates.

For example, when I was at University, the Students' Union was twice taken over (both elections were overturned because the SU had given itself broad powers to do just that) using this very tactic. In one, the very conservative Engineers ran a slate of candidates to combat the heavily leftist bent of traditional voters and won every position on the board. In the other, one man ran a campaign aimed specifically at intolerant voters (with signs that actually said "Vote for me, Unless you're Gay") in an attempt to demonstrate how idiotic the entire process was. He won, too.

But, as I said, both elections were overturned by the SU because they didn't like the results.

Politics should be kept at a theoretical level until you have the right to vote. Otherwise, no. Students should not be indoctrinated into any form of politics until they have the maturity to make proper decisions. Otherwise we are just breeding future drones to perpetuate the status quo political system, which sucks. Political philosophy is great; it stimulates the mind and makes students aware of what else could be out there, or what has been and can be once more.

High school politics should NOT be partisan. Debating teams exist for this purpose.

Your schools get elections? Lucky bastards, all we get is a student council. Each one is chosen by the one previous to it. They're are 8 6th year students on the council. 4 are chosen in 5th year by the previous council(via applications and interviews) then 4 are chosen the next year by the previous 4(same way). They have basically no power to do anything in the school, other than wear a badge and decide when to have civies days and who to give the money raised to.

Is voting mandatory?

I'm pretty sure all they do is pass out a piece of paper to everyone, and I guess if you really didn't care you could just pass up a folded blank paper and no one would ever know you didn't vote.

So i guess it's kinda mandatory.

Politics should be kept at a theoretical level until you have the right to vote. Otherwise, no. Students should not be indoctrinated into any form of politics until they have the maturity to make proper decisions. Otherwise we are just breeding future drones to perpetuate the status quo political system, which sucks.

so the way to make them not perpetuate the status quo is... to perpetuate the status quo?

nothing breeds the ability to make 'proper' decisions like taking on a larger and larger decision-making role for yourself.

so the way to make them not perpetuate the status quo is... to perpetuate the status quo?
How is it perpetuated?

nothing breeds the ability to make 'proper' decisions like taking on a larger and larger decision-making role for yourself.
So should we start indoctrinating 13 - 15 year olds?

YOU are actually rather lucky; I am stuck in red state Kansas. I find Student Government rather difficult to run for, because I am an <<outspoken>> liberal individual, even though I would do an excellent job at such.

YOU are actually rather lucky; I am stuck in red state Kansas. I find Student Government rather difficult to run for, because I am an <<outspoken>> liberal individual, even though I would do an excellent job at such.

yeah, so lets say you moved to, say, Boston, and continued as you were. Don't you think its a lot more likely you'll be elected there? Or do the kids really don't care that much?

YOU are actually rather lucky; I am stuck in red state Kansas. I find Student Government rather difficult to run for, because I am an <<outspoken>> liberal individual, even though I would do an excellent job at such.
Do you mean left-wing? Because I would think that is so common at high school (or even university).

Do you mean left-wing? Because I would think that is so common at high school.

not in Kansas lol.

not in Kansas lol.
Lemme guess, instead you have nutcase conservatives there?

its not often you get politics in High School, its always been a popularity contest. politics is to complicated for 80% of the adult population, much less the ignorent highschoolers.

Lemme guess, instead you have nutcase conservatives there?

Well, I mean, I'm not actually from Kansas, but I've had my experiances with schools filled with nutcase conservatives. I'm just saying that in Kansas it is probably a lot worse.

its not often you get politics in High School, its always been a popularity contest. politics is to complicated for 80% of the adult population, much less the ignorent highschoolers.
Exactly. High school is too much about appearances. University is a good starting point to begin political engagement, but not high school.

ok, heres the deal. My high school is up in like the worst part of down, and is filled with many poverty stricken minorities, so naturally, it is quite a liberal school...(ok debate this if you want, but for now just accept that the school is mostly liberal)

anyway, I'm thinking that if a hypothetical candidate for a student-body president were to talk about more than just raising money for Prom or other dances, and talked also about their views as a liberal, how we need to help promote equality, and raise minimum wage, etc, then they would get more of the minority/poverty kid's vote.

Seems like common sence to me, but it doesn't seem like anyone is agreeing with me...so I'm putting up a poll to see a greater number of people's responce.
It's all about popularity babe.

Well, I mean, I'm not actually from Kansas, but I've had my experiances with schools filled with nutcase conservatives. I'm just saying that in Kansas it is probably a lot worse.
As much as I hate lefties, I don't like Conservatives of their brand either. Difficult to find any fellow libertarians. Most people are too simple-minded to go beyond standardised political structures and see what else there is.

Lemme guess, instead you have nutcase conservatives there?

How ever did you guess? Apparently, joining in the day of silence gay rights protest wasn't beneficial to my election prospects. So I am running for a representative position instead; those are voted upon by the teachers.

It's all about popularity

though couldn't you incrase your popularity among the low-class kids by talking about things such as raising minimum wage?

though couldn't you incrase your popularity among the low-class kids by talking about things such as raising minimum wage?
Maybe they have the brains to realise that simply raising the minimum wage ad infinitum only generates more economic distress?

How ever did you guess? Apparently, joining in the day of silence gay rights protest wasn't beneficial to my election prospects. So I am running for a representative position instead; those are voted upon by the teachers.
Meh, I am thinking of starting my own student club for libertarianism next year when I transfer unis. Apparently the movement is quite well-known in Sweden, so maybe I'll get people to join.

though couldn't you incrase your popularity among the low-class kids by talking about things such as raising minimum wage?
Ahhh, but see, that's different. That's popularity vs. power. I take the power. ;)

It's all about popularity babe.

Point and fact. I just ran for President of my high school student council.

I didn't win.

Why?

Because though I am a far superior student to the person I was running against and I actually HAD a platform, he won simply because he's eveyone's best friend (except for mine...*steam*).

So make everyone like you. I suggest using some kind of mind-control laser gun...

Ahhh, but see, that's different. That's popularity vs. power. I take the power. ;)
In high school, popularity = power.

How is it perpetuated?

because you propose not doing something different than what is currently the case

So should we start indoctrinating 13 - 15 year olds?

who is talking about indoctrination?

its not often you get politics in High School, its always been a popularity contest.

which is different than standard representative electoral politics how exactly?

because you propose not doing something different than what is currently the case
I meant in terms of how politics is conducted.

who is talking about indoctrination?
If political parties were allowed access to schools, then it would be indoctrination. Though looking back at the OP, I guess that's not what he/she meant.

which is different than standard representative electoral politics how exactly?

Heh. You actually made me laugh.

You win.

Ha!
At my school I and a few others ran a “Don’t Vote” campaign. It was quite successful and it became “uncool” to vote. Only the Student Council over-acheivers and their friends voted so some loser with a high-pitched voice won instead of the preppy hot chick who would’ve won had I and my friends decided not to be assholes.

In high school, popularity = power.
Can't have one or the other.. and you can't have power if you aren't popular.

.. take scientology.. they got one freak to quit a show.. they won't be popular in DC, so they won't have the power to influence.

Thank god for that.

We made an honest effort to ellect Chuck Norris, Ayn Rand, The Dalai Lamma, and Adam Smith (Wealth of the Nations) at the last school election.

For some reason the vote-counters asked for the end of write-in votes for the next years elections. :p

We felt vindicated.

My student council is elected by popular vote. There are restrictions - you have to have a certain GPA, for President at least you must be a sophomore or junior, you can't run if you're going to spend a semester in Israel next year (I go to a Jewish school, and many students do just that).

The GPA requirement may prevent this from becoming a popularity contest. One VERY popular student who was going to run for VP has been disqualified for his low GPA.

I am planning to run for Treasurer, which at my school is a thankless job, so I may be running unopposed. The other positions are far more likely to be contested.

Our student council doesn't even PRETEND to have influence over school policy. Instead, they mainly do events, such as "Dinner with your Rabbis", which is Friday. The Treasurer also runs the Snack Shack, which sells food during lunch, and TRIES to keep the soda machine stocked (this nigh-impossible job will probably scare the competition away).

Winning elections is a combination of popularity and credentials, though I imagine that HAVING a platform would probably help. One element of my platform will be:

I will appoint a Snack Shack committee, so that students can run the Snack Shack in return for community service hours (and so I don't have to spend half my lunchtime telling people that the Snack Shack is closed).

So should we start indoctrinating 13 - 15 year olds?

Yes. Adults generally don't change their minds once they've formed opinions (this is stupid, but it's true). If we can get to the children and form their opinions for them, we win.

There's no reason we can't turn them into a bunch of teenage libertarians.