To say this summer was “happening” politically is an understatement. The Supreme Court approved the legitimacy of Obamacare, and judged that gay marriage is constitutional. The President passed the Trans-Pacific Partnership without the support of his party, and re-opened diplomatic relations with Cuba. The aftermath of the Baltimore riots brought continuous discussions about race and class in the U.S., police brutality and the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Planned Parenthood was under fire after the release of a series of disturbing videos. The excitement of the 2016 Election began, along with all its lively characters (namely Mr. Trump). And to top it all off, a deal was reached between the P5+1 countries and Iran regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
It felt like the most politically-packed summer in a while, perhaps the most politically-packed summer during my lifetime. Or, more realistically, it is the first time that I realized the scope of political news around me. As an intern at AIPAC’s New York headquarters this summer, I understood that I would be entrenched in talk of the Iran negotiations and subsequent deal. What I did not predict was the extent to which the experience at AIPAC would push me to immerse myself in the other political issues of the summer.
The amount of research, discussion and reading I had to do just to understand the basics of the Iran deal made me realize how little I truly knew about other political issues. Moreover, the amount of study required in order for me to develop an informed, nuanced opinion about the Iran deal made me realize just how much more I need to understand before taking a stance on anything else.
It may seem ironic that I learned the importance of nuance at an organization with an agenda like that of AIPAC. However, the truth is that the positions taken by AIPAC are based upon untold man-hours of research and debate rather than the intuition of its policy directors or preconceived opinions of the broader community. AIPAC did not reflexively disagree with the proposed deal like many of its critics claim. Rather, a team of top political analysts took the time to understand the complexities of each and every aspect of the deal. They developed an informed, well-researched, nuanced opinion irrespective of the political backlash that opinion would invite.
College is the time to learn to form nuanced opinions through immersive research, rather than by perpetuating preconceived, or even widely held political or social views. We have the opportunity to not only read about what is going on, but to understand what is going on. We can mold our own position instead of immediately defaulting to the commonly held opinion of those around us.
Whether you oppose the Iran deal or not, don’t do it by simply sticking to party lines or adopting the view of the most vocal members of your community. If you get into a heated Facebook discussion about Planned Parenthood, understand that it is an issue more complex than the black and white labeling of pro-life or pro-choice. If you endorse a candidate, don’t do it because you like his/her personality, but because you agree with their platform. Take a stance, but take an educated and properly informed stance.
Here’s to a semester of forming nuanced and educated opinions.