Understanding politics in its most divisive era

While it may be easy to speak on some bipartisan events, such as the inauguration of President Biden or the stay-at-home orders following the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, the challenge of hosting such a discussion comes when the highly-controversial subjects are brought up — whether this be the Black Lives Matter movement or, more recently, the riots on Capitol Hill.

But understanding and conversing about politics in one of its most tumultuous eras holds more pressure on ensuring an accurate and amicable account of the events so the topics can be presented in the most factually-accurate and unbiased manner possible. We are all trying to grasp all this political insanity, and it is most important that the future generation, above all other generations, have a solid understanding of the political realm before we are able to directly influence it.

It is apparent to everyone in the club that the events that happen around the country are more chaotic than any given time. Because of this, tensions have been high and the feeling of immense divisiveness in our outlooks on politics seems blatantly obvious most of the time. Therefore, I have always found it unrealistic for both sides of the political aisle to find some sort of common ground. That has rarely ever occurred. So, my main goal for the club has been fairly consistent: Let others be exposed to “hot topic” current events from a different point of view to further their own understanding of the subject at hand.

As a senior, I will be leaving the club in the hands of someone else in just a few short months. And per the typical senior, I am anxious to leave high school and move on to greater things, though this club is one of the few things that I will miss deeply once leaving my school, or rather a high school Zoom call, one last time. On one hand, I consider it to be a relief, to some extent. My days of spending hours preparing for the club each week will halt, and I won’t have to closely moderate discussions. But on the other hand, I will deeply miss hosting the club each week, as I know that my interest in seeing my peers developing a liking, or at least a better understanding for politics, will last longer than the time I spent hosting the club.

Jacob Lubarsky is a senior at Burlingame High School. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.