ROMNEY 2012!!!! ...........

           Walking down the halls of Johns Creek High School, one student may hear this phrase, and quite frankly quite often. The controversial topic of the presidential election of 2012 has sparked arguments amongst adults and even amongst students alike. The sad thing is, do they really know what side they're on- or is it just the result of plain old peer pressure? No, I'm not talking about the 'yeah, doing drugs is cool' peer pressure, but merely the ability for one to be influenced by an outside source.
            In my onlevel US history class, the very first thing that was said this Wednesday morning by a student when walking through the door was "Another 4 years of sucking it up with Obama". As if that wasn't derogatory enough, he muttered a racial slur as he sat down in his seat. As someone with no political knowledge, I brushed this comment off as another ordinary insult by a Johns Creek student. This was one of MANY comments I had heard that week.
          Let's just say, the commonality of Republican bias in our school is enormous. To further prove this, our school's mock election produced results of 73% Republican. That's a lot of elephant-lovers. But I guess what my question is relates to the real reason of why you support your political party.
           On our "patriotic" spirit day this past October, in spirit for homecoming, students were asked to wear red, white, and blue. Most kids broke out their best attire, some even in morph suits and full on red, white, and blue. However, the most shocking raiments included a Mitt Romney 2012 Tshirt, as well as an Obama is the Change Tshirt. I am not trying to question or single out the fashion choices of these students, (although red, white, and blue ALWAYS go together right?), however, to me it triggers a TON of questions. How do you know what political party you support- you're still in highschool? Have you been exposed to THAT much where you know what side you want to take? Or are you following your parents' beliefs?
          First. Why are you a ________________? Fill in that blank how you choose, but I want to know why you believe it. If I asked 90% of teenagers in highschool why they're a __________, most won't provide a truly valid argument (unless they pertain some outside knowledge or just really love politics). Most would not pull up a list of Obama's biggest accomplishments, or what they feel like Romney would do to 'fix the nation'.
          Frankly, most kids are not necessarily political leaders within our school. With the exception of few (especially the president of the Republican club), I would bet money that over 75% of kids have the same political views of their parents. Honestly, I feel like this is not a coincedence. Teenagers are naturally inclined to adopt the political beliefs of their parents.
         However, shockingly, when talking to people around school, SOME [I am by no means saying all] people actually know what they are talking about. But, sticking to my original point, I personallyt believe it is crucial for students to find their own personal beliefs and stick by that. Frankly, it seems very hard to be a Democrat in a majority Republican state. However, regardless of how peer pressure or outside influence affects people, I personally believe it is vital to stick to one's own values and then go from there.
       I guess what I am monotnously trying to get at is do you REALLY know what you're talking about when you're criticizing someone for being a Democrat? Or even vise-versa. The ignorance that has arisen in our society today, and even has narrowed down to Johns Creek High School itself. This ignorance has created a gap between parties that is huge, and frankly, is scary.