Alyson Atkins

Upon starting this blog to share my political convictions, I realized that I needed to share my intentions regarding why. Many may ask, “why this?” And subsequently, “why now?” However, the answers to both questions are intrinsically intertwined and a bit convoluted. Regardless, I will do my best to answer them in this post.

Over the past few years in the United States, I have watched people rip their relationships to shreds because of their allegiances to institutions that quite frankly do not care about them. Politics as a topic has become taboo and full of untruths. It’s impossible to open an app without seeing or involving ourselves in discourse over manufactured issues created by the media to keep us from hashing out those that genuinely plague this country. It’s all part of a grander elite scheme to keep the people of the United States from exercising our power. I’ve chosen to create a political blog to educate and show others that real answers to our problems are being clouded by corruption.

There is a similar reason why now I’ve chosen to create this platform. In this moment of United States political history, we live in an oligarchy that successfully facades itself as a representative democracy. Corruption runs this country, and very few representatives truly care for their constituents. Now more than ever, an equitable system that upholds a just society is becoming a pipe dream in this country due to dark money that buys nearly everyone in the government. I don’t often see government corruption called out in modern media, so I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands and create “Alyson’s Updates.”

I’m sure the aforementioned concepts sound nice, but what makes me qualified to speak on these topics? Over the past handful of years, I’ve spent my time inside and outside of school enriching my knowledge of political concepts through a multitude of lenses. I hold an undergraduate degree in International Politics & Law, History, and Public Administration. I also spent a reasonable amount of time in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with my boyfriend and became affiliated with the Harvard Democrats (although most of my values personally lie outside those of the Democratic Establishment).

Over time, I’ve noticed that I look at politics differently than I used to. My approach when analyzing political concepts has matured in that I don’t just take issues for their face value. I read into the matter, look at peer-reviewed studies, see how other first-world countries implement policies and then form my opinion. However, the views that I hold are not always 100% influenced by the research that I’ve done. Some issues are merely a testament to my commitment to upholding human rights in this country, and I will likely touch on that from time to time.

Finally, I want to disclaim that everything I write on this blog is my educated opinion. I do not seek to offend, ostracize, or hurt anyone. Instead, I am looking to offer information and perspectives that people may not otherwise encounter. This blog is a medium to uphold open and honest political discourse/education, and I do not seek to degrade any ideology. Rather, I strive to open minds through sharing what I’ve learned in my schooling and personal research.