Lin Oo
Staff Reporter
Politics is in the air as the presidential elections draws near. It seems as though everybody that I have met has an opinion one way or another about the presidential candidates or their running mates. Personally, I have been fascinated by the atmosphere of people engaging in active conversations about each candidate, whether it’s inside or outside of the classroom.
Coming from a country run by the military junta, I cannot help but be fascinated by experiencing democracy first hand. The last elections that were held in Burma were in 1990, where the democratically elected
nominee has been imprisoned ever since. Before arriving in the U.S., we would watch the elections on television, discussing what the potential benefits for each of them were. The story is different in Burma where I can be arrested for having even written anything that goes against the government. Ever since the last election, I have had this growing fascination about discussing politics in an open atmosphere where one does not have to fear reprisals.
As an international student, I feel as though I have had the pleasure of listening to both parties and their platforms to take the country towards a new direction. Some ask me who I would prefer as president, and I usually say that I don’t really have a preference for one or the other.
I do, however, enjoy observing as an outsider how people, rally, discuss and analyze politics. A wide range of events have been held in order to rally McDaniel College students to actively engage in the election, from the viewing of presidential debates by both the McDaniel Democrats and Republicans to a more academically humorous Debate Fallacy Bingo held by the philosophy club.
It seems as though at least until Election Day everyone will be talking about politics. It hasn’t only been American students who have been engaged in conversation about the elections. As I enjoyed Thai food down at Main Street, I got into a conversation with a group of local and international friends. We discussed the differences between elections in their respective countries and how this upcoming election might affect us.
One might encounter heated debates about the faults of both parties and the political system in general. There might be arguments over whether or not “Washington” serves the best interest for the people. Regardless of the faults, I am empowered to observe democracy at its best. Freedom of speech and the ability to choose one’s leaders is a privilege that is most often over looked by some. I could only hope that I will be able to participate in voting for (and probably discussing) the future of leader of Burma sometime within my lifetime.