On Oct. 30, Jon Stewart is holding a rally on the National Mall in D.C. to restore sanity to the political atmosphere. The extreme viewpoints of outspoken minorities on the far right and left currently dominate our political discussion, leaving little room for constructive dialogue in the middle. Either 9/11 was an inside job designed to increase Halliburton’s stock or Obama is a fascist Muslim that was born in Kenya. Facts are forced to the side of the road as Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann careen wildly from exaggeration to selective ignorance. The rational voice is more often than not discarded in favor of fearmongering, emotional pleas and righteous indignation. This makes for a dangerous political atmosphere that sidelines the majority of individuals and legitimizes irrational discussion, rendering compromise impossible.

Previous generations of students marched on the National Mall to fight for civil rights and to criticize the Vietnam War, and these students made significant impacts. Those fights presented immediate moral imperatives that necessitated action. Although it lacks the same level of immediacy and moral imperative as its predecessors, the necessity of this rally remains. Our generation will soon be the largest voting bloc in the country and with this power comes a heavy political burden. We will soon chart the future of this country, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the dialogue associated with the political process is rational and responsible. We must ensure that fearmongering and divisive discussion do not continue to plant seeds of hate throughout our lifetime.

For those of you who have felt left out, intimidated or just too annoyed with the political forum to get involved, this is a great way to start. Those of you who have grown disillusioned with politics ought to join in as well. Despite its comedic origins, the rally is being taken seriously, garnering plugs from Oprah and even President Obama himself. So come join the hundreds of thousands of people already committed to attending and make your voices heard. Just remember to be reasonable about it.