Writers Response 5

Brandy Hendon

English 3310

Ms. Day



Writer's Response 5



         About two months ago, shortly after Texas Governor Rick Perry announced his candidacy for United States President, the sports editor for the Rambler wrote an op-ed piece that I considered writing a rebuttal to. In her article, she stated much information that was cited by sources that most college freshmen would know are not considered credible or scholarly sources. The information that she wrote about made absolutely no sense and I found myself asking how the governor of Texas is responsible for a high teenage pregnancy or STD rate.

         The biggest challenge I would have faced if I had chosen to respond to her article would have been whether I would come across as a Governor Perry sympathizer as opposed to a concerned voter who felt she simply had the facts wrong and was giving young voters much misinformation. The problem here was that I have this person in one of my classes and she knows my opinion on Governor Perry, so I felt that it was best that I leave it to others to respond and simply avoid the conflict.

         Looking back, after another of my classmates wrote an impassioned rebuttal providing correct information and pointing out the lack of credible sources used in the article, I wish I had written one as well. I believe I could have figured out a way to bring balance to the article and show that my concern is not for Governor Perry's reputation, but for the many first time voters who are about to face what could possibly be the most important election cycle of their lives. Most young people do not pay much attention to what the candidates have to say and many tend to vote with what they think is “cool,” oftentimes because a celebrity says it is. I know I did the first time I voted in 1992 when I voted for Bill Clinton. I was 19 years old and saw him on MTV, which made him appealing to me. Voters need to be informed and have all of the facts about what the candidates represent, what their values are, and most importantly, what their plan is for the United States as president—not misguided, biased opinions from a school newspaper sports editor. I believe I could have done that, but it is probably too late to do it now.