{"id":28671,"date":"2026-11-04T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T16:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/?p=28671"},"modified":"2026-10-29T13:56:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T20:56:50","slug":"a-students-guide-to-local-politics-the-importance-of-having-values-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2026\/11\/04\/a-students-guide-to-local-politics-the-importance-of-having-values-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"A Student\u2019s Guide to Local Politics<\/em>: The importance of having values in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s hard to not be discouraged these days when your social-media feed is plagued with horrific news updates, and any attempt to reach out and support causes you believe in feels like you\u2019re not doing enough. This effect feels even worse when the issues hit close to home, just like the recent municipal elections hit me.<\/p>\n

As I angrily paced around my living room, fresh off seeing the new names listed under the Langford town council results, I stopped to notice a book I had left out on the table earlier: I Told You So!<\/i> by Matt Kaplan.<\/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

The bright red letters on its cover stuck with me as I swallowed a festering ball of complicated feelings in my gut. The book discusses remarkable scientific breakthroughs throughout history that came at the cost of the scientists who uncovered them; those who found themselves shamed, ridiculed, or even imprisoned for proposing theories that were later proven to be true.<\/p>\n

I have reflected a lot on these scientists in the last week, particularly on their role in progress and what it means to be \u201cprogressive\u201d in a world so rife with judgement and division.<\/p>\n

I was fed a steady diet of perfectionism from a young age. I hoped that by appeasing everyone around me, I could avoid trouble in the long run. This fell apart quickly, however, when I learned about the land of talking heads and dress pants that led our society. In the land of politics, one doesn\u2019t simply make friends with everyone on the playground; in fact, it can often be in your own best interest to disagree on certain matters (the major difference being that your parents probably won\u2019t get called in if you get into a fight over who\u2019s been on the swing too long).<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, \u201cI hate politics!\u201d was my standard catchphrase throughout childhood, simply because I never wanted to be the minnow that swam against the current. The truth is that I never really hated politics; I simply hated that the political sphere didn\u2019t feel like a safe space where one could truly be vulnerable or express their viewpoints without an ensuing character assassination.<\/p>\n

This is why Kaplan\u2019s book fascinates me so\u2014to learn of these quiet historical figures who have shaped our lives so tremendously yet suffered at the hands of many because of it.<\/p>\n

I contemplate being one of those scientists in today\u2019s modern political climate. In a world where every hypothesis feels like a critique, and every criticism becomes a dogpile, it\u2019s troubling to find the most empathetic ways into a conversation. But at the risk of losing a couple colleagues along the way, I\u2019ve begun to implement these fun things called \u201copinions\u201d into my daily life. Sure, it may be a disagreement about chocolate being better than vanilla ice cream now (fight me!), but I think the overarching goal is to be able to speak my mind on the actual values I hold without worrying about ostracization.<\/p>\n

In a world where I\u2019m still privileged to be able to speak my mind, vote for who I believe in, and diplomatically criticize others\u2019 choice of hat, I\u2019d like to take my chances and choose vulnerability over fear. Who knows? Maybe one day I\u2019ll be the one crying, \u201cI told you so.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s hard to not be discouraged these days when your social-media feed is plagued with horrific news updates, and any attempt to reach out and support causes you believe in feels like you\u2019re not doing enough. This effect feels even worse when the issues hit close to home, just like the recent municipal elections hit […]<\/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":[363,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-november-4-2026","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