The 2016 presidential election was my first truly sentient election, and I was very emotionally invested. Beyond reinvigorating a political club at my high school, I frequented news sights and recorded the official debates.
I had high hopes that the American people would elect who I thought would lead the nation into a prosperous future, and I was confident that we would not elect Donald Trump, possibly the worst candidate imaginable. I even hoped that he would win the Republican primaries because, in my mind, that would automatically mean a win for Democrats. Well…. I was wrong.
This blew my mind. I was up all night watching CNN and FOX as the presidential results came in, dumbfounded by what I was seeing. It could not be more clear to me that the points Trump made during his campaign would deter enough people from voting for him.
Post-election, I have realized that people, including me, are merely products of their societal norms. Logic goes out the window when the very fundamentals used to decide logic are inconsistent amongst different groups. Coastal states, racial minorities, and those living in cities live a completely different reality than older individuals living in the south and heart of America. The effects of this diverged thinking can be seen every day through the ongoing debate over gun control, environmental responsibility, and even the validity of the Kardashians as role-models .
Recently, I started to think ...
What if I could create my own society?
What would it look like?
What values and social norms would be established?
In a series I am titling, “Let’s Build A Society”, I will be designing an imagined community from scratch. Topics of discussion will include…
- Location
- Neighborhoods
- Education
- Environmental Sustainability
- City Design
- More...
The chances of this society being sustainable, or even initiateable (I made up this word), are very slim considering I am only a teenager and have little life experience. Nevertheless, I would like to examine our current society and highlight which elements are worth keeping and which are obsolete remnants of our forefathers’ way of life.
Let it begin...✍️
