Parents’ political affiliations should not influence their children’s own opinions
Due to the current chaotic state of the world, conversations at the dinner table will most likely revolve around political topics such as tensions in the Middle East or school shootings throughout the United States. However, the facts regarding these current events will become overshadowed by the views of parental figures and close family, thus hindering an adolescent’s ability to properly develop his or her own standpoints. Children may become intolerant toward other political stances and ideals when they rely solely on their parents’ opinions. When these youths develop stances without factual evidence, they ultimately inflict ignorant and biased viewpoints on their offspring as well. Teens must become informed before choosing a side in order to properly understand the world around them.
In any case, a person who sides with one opinion in a widespread conflict based on a lack of information will not prosper in supporting this position as he or she does not actually understand what he or she is agreeing with. Likewise, said person may get very defensive in these sorts of cases, fearing what he or she does not understand. An adolescent who finds himself or herself deeply invested in a cause simply due to parental influence tends to lack the educational backbone that these strong opinions often require.
“Although I have formed my own political views over time, there have been instances in the past where I feel as if my parents unintentionally tried to persuade me to agree with their opinions instead of creating my own,” said sophomore Shana Roostaie.
According www.gallant.com, while 28 percent of U.S. teenagers consider themselves either more liberal or more conservative than their parents, 71 percent of teenagers agreed that their social and political stances are roughly the same as their parents. Evidently, parental influence drastically manipulates the mindsets of children more permanently than some may realize.
Once future generations rely less on fact and more so on word of mouth, no change will come and the world will stay at a standstill, if not move backward. Adults must begin to realize that intense, opinionated comments are meant for the ears of those who either have already taken a stance on the matter or know enough information to not be entirely persuaded by outside opinions. Likewise, parents should educate their children on any given topic before discussing the subject matter as children are very impressionable. Teenagers should be encouraged to think for themselves and not rely solely on their parent’s beliefs because they are the future building blocks of the next generations.
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