In the 2008 presidential election, many students argued in the hallways about their political standing, displaying campaign paraphernalia in their binders to support Barack Obama or John McCain. However, if asked the strong points of the candidate, many could only remain speechless or blurt out an unexplainable slogan.

Teens often rely on others’ opinions instead of investigating the situation themselves, or are unaware of the issue altogether. But in order to sound politically correct, they use their parents’ beliefs as their own.

“What many don’t understand is that whatever is happening now [e.g., the financial crisis or environmental damage] has the potential to affect their futures,” sophomore Nigel Alcorn, a political columnist for The Feather, said. “The decisions they make in the present can damage the course of their lives, for better or for worse.”

History teacher Bessalee Downing said students’ awareness of their environment is as important as their appreciation of politics.

“It’s because of the past [that] we have the present and the future,” Downing said. “By understanding the past, we can understand the present, how we got here and how to get to the future.”

Despite Downing’s stress on political consciousness, many students fail to engage in the larger scope of political reality.

“I don’t pay attention to [current events] because I don’t really feel it applies to me,” Emily Krieghoff, ’09, said. “I guess I’m so consumed in the Fresno Christian world. I think it’s good to go to Africa and stuff, but instead of looking in the paper for world affairs, I look in it for movie times.”

Many teens are preoccupied with matters other than the needs of foreign countries or economic crises, focusing instead on school activities and the common urge to text message.

“I understand that the world is going though problems,” Krieghoff said, “but I don’t really pay attention to them. I give all my time to basketball and school. Whenever things happen, I don’t feel it applies to me because it’s not affecting me directly.”

The Fresno Bee’s editorial page editor and vice president, Jim Boren, said teens should be mindful of the world they live in, as well as their own decisions.

“[Teens] are citizens of this country and will be affected,” Boren said. “With the economy at the place it’s at and many people needing jobs, taxes will go up and then there’s a lot of various decisions they will be making ? like if they are going to go into military services or colleges.”

Boren said the financial crisis will force teens to take notice of the situation in order to relieve stress concerning their future.

“Is there going to be enough money for scholarships and funding?” Boren asked. “[Students’] decisions then should be heard because they will soon be voters. With losing jobs and parents’ jobs cutback, there is more relying on financial aid. A lot is going to affect them. Then with public schools getting full funding, there are 10,000 [job] cuts because of funding cuts.”

For more information and news, e-mail Jim Boren or check out The Fresno Bee or The New York Times.