Politics is changing all around us and in the world. At least somewhere in the world, there’s always someone new rising in power, a new member of the Senate, the House Of Representatives, Presidents, and more. Amongst all these people, there are some who are always willing to do something that’s going to change the way politics work. Everyone rules in their own ways, which means everywhere, politics are going to be run differently.
Here at West Albany High School, we have some of our Government and History teachers who have been observing politics over several years and how they changed over time.
“When September 11th happened,” History Teacher Chris Martin said. “I think that might have shaped some politics for me.” Martin has seen some events that happened in the past that shook his views on politics.
Martin has explained that for him, politics are getting a bit more dangerous, risking a lot with all of the chaos that has been occuring in the last several years.
“It feels like things are getting more heated, more dangerous, more attacking,” Martin said.
Government teacher Erik Ihde doesn’t have any significant key events that have shaped politics in his opinion. Still, he thinks a turning point for some people was the political ideas that became more relevant during the pandemic in 2019.
“I would say that the politics that surrounded Covid pandemic, around the shutdown, I think that was a turning point in terms for us,” Ihde said.
For history teacher Andrew Sturgill, the Cold War was an important event in the past that changed the way he saw politics, as well as September 11.
“Most of my childhood was during the Cold War, so that might have shaped some politics for me,” Stugill said. “The other event that took place was later, in 2001, and that was the September 11th attack.”
Sturgill also says that politics have changed a lot, but one of the main differences is the internet. Because of the internet, we believe things we see even if they aren’t true.
“I think that there’s definitely a difference in politics from then and now,” Sturgill said. “I find that today people are more likely to believe things that aren’t true than I feel like they used to.”
Some of the things that were mentioned more than once by more than one teacher was how there is a divide in the world.
“I think all the lies also add to the divide because most of the non-truths are purposefully trying to create division,” Sturgill said. And Ihde said something similar. And the falling of the twin towers was another event that was brought up more than once.
Both teachers, Sturgill and Martin, said that September 11th was probably a big thing that changed the way they saw politics.
“The thing that’s different today has a lot to do with the internet,” Sturgill said.
