It is very important to be involved with one’s government. Unfortunately, today, some students believe U.S. civics to be very doleful, and some teachers are adept at making it harder than it really is.
Thinking civics is completely devoid of interest, and sometimes utterly incomprehensible, they dread this subject. They only complete their assignments because they have to, not because they love to or understand why they have to study civics.
It’s plausible that students will just feign interest whenever their U.S. government teacher drones on and on about this subject in a highly educated, but extremely boring way.
Driving the point further, some schools teach only what they would want students to know about U.S. civics. Thus, these systems completely overlook the truth about our nation’s civics, making their students miss out on why it is important to study it.
With this introduction aside, why is it important to study U.S. civics? There are many reasons, but we will stick with one for simplicity’s sake: people can advocate for what they would like.
'Parks and Recreation' stuff
In “Pilot,” Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) questions whether Pawnee Parks and Recreation deputy director Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) will really come to the pit and clear up the problem. Ann had bad experiences with trying to get the government to solve this particular problem.
Even when Leslie does show up, Ann thinks, “It’s probably just a photo-op for her.” Ann says that the “ugly” and “dangerous” pit is “government-owned and no one’s done anything about it.”
Although Leslie really does intend to fill in the pit, Ann is not even convinced when Leslie promises to fill in the pit. Ann only agrees to Leslie’s idea if Leslie can “pinky-promise!”
At the Pawnee Forum, Ann immediately says “I don’t really care for politics,” and gets thunderous applause. Anything Leslie or Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) say receives only small, scattered, formal applause.
Ann Perkins is a personable, average citizen who would relate to what real people need or want most. She also does not oversell or advertise ideas as better than they are.
Her experience as a nurse also gives her a very family-oriented and caring image, showing that family-centered people advocate in government. Ann is likable, factual, and truthful, like Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), and because of this, she is willing to get involved in government.
Parks and Recreation is a mockumentary-style satire of small-town government, but it shows the importance of a local citizen being involved in government, and the fruitful results of advocacy.
In real life
There is hope when U.S. citizens vote or otherwise advocate for themselves in government.
In terms of voting, the numbers may add up once again and increase the chances of a conservative victory. People advocating during a school board battle have fought to remove developmentally inappropriate books from libraries, even as late as 2026, when woke content was still in the school system but had largely left the public eye.
We can all work toward a more advanced America through involvement in local government, as Ann Perkins did when she spoke at the Pawnee Forum to have the pit filled. Advocacy is the key.
Does it work with presidential administrations also?
Another Republican victory, like the one in the 2024 election cycle, could come down to more advocacy, particularly in swing states and among key voter groups, such as minority communities.
Because politics is something of a numbers game, power has shifted between Republican and Democratic administrations before. Barack Obama, for instance, was president before Donald Trump. Trump won the 2016 election through the Electoral College, even though his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, received more popular votes.
In the 2028 election cycle, Republicans could try again to win the White House. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may garner a lot of attention and support if he runs for president, and Marco Rubio may also launch a popular campaign and earn a strong vote count.
In this situation, advocacy and perseverance may be the key.
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