My uncle is a fired up Dominican man. He is hypocritical about a lot, and finds fault particularly in U.S. foreign policy. I recently just spent a long car ride with him. I love the man, but as a Political Science and International Relations double major, I argued with him. He does make some valid points, such as the lack of authority within the United Nations, but I wouldn’t like to talk about the actual opinions of his, nor mine. I would like to bring up a point I made at the end of my discussion with my uncle – DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

My uncle is a good representation of my family’s characteristics. Parties are usually the spot of politics, religion and gossip in my family. Since a young age I have heard passionate thoughts on people like Clinton, Jesus, and the girl next door who came home at 3:00 am. I always had a problem with all this talk. I did not see a point to it. I was able to sit there and absorb all this information, but nothing was ever done to address the problems discussed during these fervent party discussions. Nobody would DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

My uncle articulates his arguments very well, but doesn’t act or organize to do something about the faults he finds in government. After speaking to my uncle this weekend, I finally realized that I had to tell my uncle and the entire family to simply DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I told him that it was crucial and important to have enriching discussions, in order to become better-informed citizens. Yet, there is another component to citizenship. That component is what would like to formally label and patent the – DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT – component. It sounds silly, and maybe it is, but I know that this is probably the most significant part about being a citizen of the United States.

My uncle, come to think of it, is good representation of many of us. We all have problems or are upset about something; whether its: “Tuition is too high!” “What are we doing in the Middle East!?” “Why aren’t we helping the Syrian people?” “Why do we only provide direct military aid to oil rich countries?” “What about those who are starving, where’s their aid?” – don’t just talk about it DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

The words “my uncle” have been the first two words of every paragraph in this work. This is not by mistake. It is technically boring and unethical in writing terms. But “my uncle” is placed at the beginning of each paragraph to remind you and myself that it begins with people like “my uncle” who talks about issues and stays informed. Yet, at the end of each paragraph, the words DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT are present to tell you that it starts with my uncles discussion, and it ends with our actions and whether or not we DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Voice, Act, and Organize Your Opinions – DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT

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