Brooke D'Sousa

       My interest in politics has grown as I’ve aged. I’m in my late thirties now, and I’ve noticed a dramatic shift in my knowledge of local and federal happenings over the last ten to fifteen years. I dare say I could even hold a conversation (civilly of course) with someone more conversant with the political space today holds. While I’ve voted in every election since I turned eighteen, I still neglected local and state politics unless it coincided with a presidential election. Even then I was uneducated with regard to the local candidates and their stances on certain issues. I found myself voting for a party, which in hindsight was not the most responsible way to exercise my civic duties. But as time passed and my life changed, so did my priorities. I began to see correlations between laws being passed and the politicians being elected to enact them. Laws that I felt went against the ideals I hold as important for the life I want my family, my friends, and myself to live and enjoy.

       This last presidential election cycle transformed my political apathy into more of a role of concern and activism by bringing awareness to the importance of being engaged at an informed level. For me to help inform others, I needed to have a better foundation of the political past of this country, as well as the changes that have occurred since, so I could more easily cross-reference the current happenings and conversations of present day. This class served that purpose, along with satisfying the American Institutions credits needed to obtain my degree, and aside from being appropriately enlightening, it was enjoyable and gave me new ways to think about things I already felt familiar with. The Campaign Finance discussion was frustratingly fascinating, because it brings to light that websites like Open Secrets exist and the public has access to the information, but it’s rare that people will take the time to research who is financing certain candidates. Also, once you understand who has contributed to whom, it’s incredibly important to then engage the five powerful questions to ensure a thorough analysis of the information.

       The Seneca Falls discussion gave me an opportunity to relate the teachings of that section and chapter to a film class I took last semester. The film class discussed diversity byway of race, gender, and sexual orientation, and the different representations of each in film over the years. Chapter six of this class discussed the changes in the constitution over time as it relates to the same diverse population of people. The struggles of different groups of individuals in my film class represent the struggles that led to change in America and brought about the Amendments to our Constitution that have occurred since its inception. During my interactions with peers in this discussion I was able to share this connection when responding to classmates posts. For example, someone had included a statement with their post that while women should enjoy equality with their male counterparts, we still face inherent discrimination and oppression by men, but also by other women. My film class described this internalized oppression, and it is when people of an oppressed group use the same methods as the oppressor against themselves. For the Seneca Falls discussion, I saw the depiction of ongoing hurdles women continue to face despite the battles that have already been fought and the obstacles that have been overcome, in direct correlation with the teachings of my film class and I was able to share this view with others. Overall this class exceeded my expectations.