{"id":28583,"date":"2026-10-21T09:00:56","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T16:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/?p=28583"},"modified":"2026-10-15T15:05:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T22:05:41","slug":"a-students-guide-to-local-politics-trash-bags-and-governing-bodies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2026\/10\/21\/a-students-guide-to-local-politics-trash-bags-and-governing-bodies\/","title":{"rendered":"A Student\u2019s Guide to Local Politics<\/em>: Trash bags and governing bodies"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been thinking a lot about the power of \u201cthem\u201d in my life. The faceless, nameless entity we ascribe the burden of our problems onto.<\/p>\n

I was driving to school the other day when I noticed a trash bag sprawled out on the side of the road, the same one that had been collecting burned rubber for well over a week. \u201cWhy haven\u2019t they done anything about that trash yet?\u201d I thought to myself, as I quickly swerved around it. It took me a moment to realize that I had played a role in its continued status by not stopping to do anything about it. I realized that in a moment, \u201cthey\u201d could have become \u201cme,\u201d \u201cmyself,\u201d or perhaps even \u201cI.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A Student\u2019s Guide to Local Politics<\/em> is a column appearing in every issue of Nexus<\/em> (photo by Amelia Wilde\/Nexus<\/em>).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the constant demand of our fast-paced lives, it\u2019s easy to get lost in pointing fingers and playing the external blame game, especially when it comes to problems that personally inconvenience us. My recent revelation indicated just how easy it can be to fall into this trap, regardless of how much I\u2019ve researched and involved myself into local political matters\u2014although I will say that amidst a sea of people who I swear have never merged lanes in their life, I\u2019d argue that it was understandable to stare vengefully at this pitiful trash bag for a brief millisecond.<\/p>\n

The bigger picture of this trash bag is reflected in many conversations I\u2019ve had with my peers about recent political tensions, especially since there are currently two separate elections happening simultaneously in BC. I hear people argue about how \u201cthe government\u201d is acting, when I\u2019m not truly convinced they know which government they\u2019re even mad at.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t to say that their claims aren\u2019t justified, but since many have ritualized endless, fast-paced content into their lives, it seems that people are increasingly becoming more outraged by misguided factoids (looking at you, generative AI) rather than researching or acting upon these beliefs. It\u2019s way easier to shake your fist and yell at an unnamed entity for not picking up the trash than it is to take a moment to consider who\u2019s responsible for the mess\u2014and think about how you could change your situation.<\/p>\n

The most direct force of change you can act upon right now is showing up to vote, and this upcoming provincial election is stacking up to be of paramount importance in our lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The BC provincial government oversees many vital factors in our lives, including housing, health care, climate action, transportation, and education. As a student myself, I can recognize how hard it is to spend time researching every politician individually, especially when reports feel so divisive and reactive. I would encourage you to simply pick one of the factors mentioned above that you feel the strongest about and take five minutes to explore how each party feels about that topic. You\u2019d be surprised how much you\u2019ll learn.<\/p>\n

You may even find some trash bags to clean up along the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been thinking a lot about the power of \u201cthem\u201d in my life. The faceless, nameless entity we ascribe the burden of our problems onto. I was driving to school the other day when I noticed a trash bag sprawled out on the side of the road, the same one that had been collecting burned […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28440,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[362,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-october-21-2026","category-columns"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t