The Role of Educational Level in Political Socialization

I grew up in the Caribbean where during election time, you stay in your homes in fear that someone who does not agree with your candidate or party choice could harm you. My family has shaped my thoughts on government and what I perceive them to be. From an early age my parents talked about who they would vote for and why they would vote for that person. Most of the decisions were based on behaviors the individual or group displayed they believed would help our family. From my parents I learned about the government and do not believe the government should be involved in aspects of my life that do not pertain to helping the economy. My parent is respectful of the government and despite their views, they still ensured that as we grew up we maintained loyalty and respect for this country. The government here in the United states is one that I have little faith in. This is because our current president is making choices that are not well thought through. As I got older, I realized that Voting is very pertinent because our nation needs all voices to be heard in order to fix some of the issues that are making this country look bad. I also realized that that that one vote can make a difference between a winner and a loser. I somewhat played an active role in political views, because my family would have discussions and would ask our thoughts to get us thinking at a young age. These are the same values I instill in my own children. That it is okay to have an opinion and regardless of their thoughts, they need to vote.

Educational level does play a role in political socialization. When you enter school you learn how to work with others, how to not agree, but yet still co-exist calmly. In additional, you are amongst children who are from different backgrounds from yourself. This opens the playing field to mixed political views that can also get you thinking about your own views. I remember when I first started school here and we stood for the pledge of Allegiance, how respectful everyone looked saying the pledge with their hand across their chest. This is part of my start in government. In my time in middle and high school, I learned so much about the government and these beginnings built upon my knowledge base and shaped some of my thoughts about government. Another aspect that I think about regarding educational level, is that people from a higher educational level, tend to be more involved in the political views. They are well versed in voting and also the candidates. I found this among people I know. The older people who are not well educated do not care to go out and vote, because they do not feel it will make a difference, versus the richer more educated people will work to get a candidate in place that supports them and will make choices that will benefit their needs.

The media including social media is a way of life these days. Most information is displayed in some form of technology, that’s why I believe the media plays a role political socialization. Whenever our president says anything, you don’t have to watch television to find out what he said. It will be printed and it will also be on the internet faster than you can blink your eye. In my opinion the media is very influential and can affect your thought process both in a positive and negative way. Ona positive note, the media can allow you to gain information on candidates and help you to gain trust in the government with the advertisements that the print or post. I do not think that the government should not be involved in making post that do not give a positive message. Bashing candidates or each other, makes me lack trust in them. The media is a big source of knowledge and it provides people all over the world with information about what is going on within the government. This allows me and many others to draw conclusions. During elections, people are very verbal on social media platforms that is very public. It can cause many people to become upset with one another. With this in mind, I feel voting these days is even more dangerous than ever. Despite this information, we should still make sure our voices are heard. When I voted for the first time, I felt some relief, but I remember seeing people on the ballot that I did not even recognize. Though voting is necessary, knowing who the candidates are is even more important.