Journals

The radical side of politics

April 20, 2012   

Political debates are not my forté. I haven’t had any experience in the White House, the Senate, or the House. Nonetheless, I was thrust into a debate on Wednesday night against five other people. Thankfully, we were not debating about the future of the country. If it were up to me, gummy bears would be in its own category on the food chain.

The debate was part of my Government 112 course entitled Comparative Politics and marked the end of a semester-long simulation. The simulation involved a fictional country called West Europa that was on the brink of Parliamentary elections. Group of five students created a political party with a party secretary, a press secretary, and a party leader. I volunteered to be the party leader despite my inexperience speaking publicly. I saw this project as a learning experience and perhaps a chance to discover a hidden interest.

Naturally, I was quite nervous as my professor introduced the party leaders. I represented the radical separatist party, a position that doesn’t quite accurately reflect my personality as my blog posts imply. When it was my turn, I lurched out in front of the podium to speak to the audience – I’m not sure what came over me. The radical side continued to manifest itself: I made aggressive gestures, used inflammatory language and attacked my opponents. It’s not something I plan on continuing but regardless, it was tons of fun while it lasted. 

This 100-level government class is offered every semester from what I know. If you’re interested in political campaigns, this class would be a good start and a good way to apply that interest.