"Bad Citizen" Confessions
Please share a time (relating to politics/your ideals/citizenship) when you did something that you shouldn't have or a time when you didn't do something that you should have
"Last year's election I should have done more research before voting."
"Not voting"
"I didn't watch a lot of the Democratic and Republican primaries."
"Not exactly sure what this means but I voted!"
"There have been times when someone will say something that goes against my ideals and I will just nod or be quiet but not stand up for my ideal, some examples will include people making unnecessary comments about someone’s looks, a disability, etc"
"Sometimes I cross the street when it’s not my turn"
"My whole life I knew nothing about politics until like a few months before the 2016 election when I realized I should get informed because I could vote so I probably should've been more engaged in politics before then."
"I didn’t vote in any of the elections even though I have been registered for years"
"I don’t watch as much of the news as I should regarding political races"
"A time I didn’t do something I should have: something that seems so minor, but I was in a study group and a girl was answering a question that someone asked, and a guy from my group started talking over her and explaining the same thing the girl was saying. I should have told him to let her finish her thoughts instead cutting her off."
"Not voting for the judges and just the mayor in my city."
"Not picking up trash outside"
"One thing I did something I should have was drive too fast."
"I did not fill out a request for an absentee ballot so I did not vote in the last election cycle, but I
will next year."
"As an out of state student, I was supposed to fill out an absentee ballot, but I put it off for too long that I missed the deadline."
"This year, I didn't vote. That goes against my citizen ideals of civic engagement. And the even dirtier truth is, I just forgot. Forgot until it was too late to mail in my absentee request, get one back, fill it out, mail that back in and have it arrive by Election Day."
"Had road rage towards a pedestrian"
"I forgot to register to vote"
"I forgot to register to vote again"
"In high school I held a leadership position and didn’t use it enough to address the issues within the school, but more so the superficial things like planning prom, homecoming, etc. when prominent issues with bullying and socioeconomic division existed in the school that should’ve been addressed."
"I should have voted in the 2016 election. I had just turned 18 and whether or not it made a difference I felt compelled to do it but never did."
"One time I didn’t do something I should have was donate to the veterans outside of Stop and Shop, but I didn’t have cash."
"Being loud late at night (oops)"
"Stand up for someone that had different political views than the rest of the group"
"In Ann Arbor, Trump supporters demonstrated their support for trump on campus. Students quickly assembled to counteract any hate and gathered to show support for the Latino community and others. I was left with wishing I could be there to support our community as well due to being in another city."
"I voted nearly straight ticket Republican in my state's primary, partially because I was more in favor of those specific candidates, but also partly as a way to internally prove a point to the University of Michigan's liberal mindset, even though I do lean left of center."
"Obey traffic laws (speeding, texting and driving)"
"Did a complete stop at a stop sign"
"Speeding"
"Underage drinking on campus? (heh...heh...)"
"I like bringing up controversial political topics around my dad's side who is all conservative to rile them up which probably isn't very beneficial because I'm mostly just trolling."
"I feel like this always comes around when it comes to voting in elections even the local primaries where I fail to vote"
"I tend to only be knowledgeable for the biggest race on a ballot and know nothing about any of the smaller races."
"I think that I often hear men say misogynistic things but I never actually correct them even though I should"
"Didn’t vote during the last midterm"
"At my high school, a boy was told to stop wearing makeup because it was a "distraction" and apparently a violation of school policy. This was obviously discrimination, but to my knowledge, no administrator/teacher/person with authority stopped this from happening. The boy stopped wearing makeup, and I felt really bad, but I didn't do anything. The least I could have done is made the administrators aware of their wrongfulness, but I didn't."
"I can take more time to volunteer"
"Not having registered to vote in Michigan, despite having lived here since 2018."
"I should have volunteered more to help others in need that are less fortunate in my community."
"I did not vote in the last election"