by Libby Hyde

“Who’s Mitt Romney?”

Wait… I invite you to take a moment to appreciate the sheer stupidity of that last statement. Just look at it. You’ve got to be kidding me, right? Somebody please tell me you’re kidding.

Many STA students don’t know much about the upcoming election in November. Sometimes, students jokingly reply with “Who’s Obama?” when asked about politics. I know some of you are sitting there admitting to yourself to being clueless when it comes to the election.

And trust me, I’m not saying I know everything about politics and the election… because I will be the first to admit I’m usually more interested in jamming out to 95.7 on the way to school instead of educating myself while listening to NPR. So NPR isn’t always what I want to listen to, but at least I show some sort of interest. The election is going to eventually put someone in the White House, so why aren’t we paying attention? Soon, it’s going to be our turn to vote, and for some STA students, that is going to be this November.

But which is more important, honestly? Do you really care about comparing Michelle Obama’s wardrobe with Anne Romney’s (yes, I did hear that on the radio this morning), or which face, Obama or Romney, looks better on a Halloween mask? Or do you care about the actual issues Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are debating?

I’m not saying that all students at STA are as clueless about politics as I am. I know I don’t sit around the dinner table discussing immigration laws and Obamacare. I know we didn’t all watch the first Presidential debate for this election. Although I’m sure there are people out there who automatically load the New York Times in their browser or read the newspaper every morning, I think it’s safe to say a majority of us don’t really care.

But it’s not even that hard. You can follow the New York Times on Twitter by the click of a button. Trust me, from what I’ve heard, it’d be a step up. At least we’d know what’s going on when someone says the name “Mitt Romney.”

So how are you informing yourself about what’s going on in Washington?