Introducing Ari’s Angle - Gen Z Perspectives
Picture this: It’s the evening of November 8th, 2016, and Donald J. Trump was just elected as the 45th President of the United States.
Your author for Ari’s Angle - from where the journey began.
I’d venture to say that most of you reading this can tell me where you were when the race was called. Some of you can tell me the first thought that ran through your mind when you heard that the New York businessman had won the Electoral College.
What if I were to tell you that when this happened, I was 11 years old?
Yes. Before I bought my first multiple-subject Five-Star notebook, Donald Trump was named the next President of the United States. And, even more ironic, I was pretty darn excited about it. I grew up in a pretty low political-engagement household, but my biological parents had a favorable opinion of Donald Trump.
The first political conversations I fully remember were in the passenger seat of my mother’s black 2019 Kia Forte where she would talk about how he was the strong leader the country needed. While my mother’s car model indicates that these discussions were post-2016 presidential election, similar discussions were had just a few years prior, albeit I can’t recall more than bits and pieces of them.
Why am I telling you this? Because the fact that I have never been fully present in a political era without Donald Trump and, painfully, used to subscribe to his rhetoric gives me unique perspectives on the current political landscape.
This leads us to the present day. My name is Ariona.
I just finished my second year at Duke University, where I am studying Public Policy and Child Policy Research. And for this summer, I am the author of this column - “Ari’s Angle.”
Every other week, I will write about a certain political issue and discuss how it is relevant to us: rural and farming communities in Kansas.
My goals are threefold: First, to help you get to know me and, thus, the views of Generation Z.
Second, to break down the tedious political jargon that is often found in articles and discussions surrounding political topics.
Please understand that political jargon is not just a nuisance that happens to exist, but rather a tactful way that the elite class can keep everyday people from understanding and participating in American politics.
And finally, this column is designed to bridge divides, not just across the political spectrum, but age group, religious affiliation (or lack thereof), race, sexual orientation, gender identity, pizza preference—anything and everything that could divide us…Okay, maybe not everything, but you get the point.
Ultimately, this column is an invitation to not only challenge what we believe but imagine a future in which we don’t wake up with an impending sense of doom every day and constantly Google, “How to prepare for a civil war.” {Okay, maybe the latter is just me…}
Before I leave you for the week, I want to make one thing clear: I, by no means, am an expert on the things I will be writing about (see above where I mention that I am still in college). However, I’d like to think I know a thing or two about political polarization and how it especially affects communities such as my hometown Marysville, Kansas.
And as we visit this summer, I’ll invite you to keep doing your own research on political topics we discuss. None of us have the knowledge or word count to fully explain issues such as immigration and the rural/urban political divide - but together we can share.
Thanks and talk to you all again soon!
~Yours,
Ariona Cook
shared May 2025, cc by-nc-nd 4.0