This presidential election seems to be one of much controversy. Instead of the trend of the 2008 election in bringing in the younger generation to vote, the election has an overlying tone of brute animosity.In years past, television during the election season has always been a mixture of advertisements of approval and disapproval of candidates, as well as a handful directed at making the 18-24 age range vote. Perhaps I haven’t been on the right channels, but I haven’t seen much of anything regarding why “your vote counts.” Is it really that the public is now fully involved in politics and needs no urging vote? No, most likely not.At this point, each party is being dominated by those with the most extreme views, which I see as a direct cause of the change in the air between the candidates. In every election, there is, of course, an obvious distance between the views of the parties. This season, however, the differences seem to be the basis of each campaign, with any overlapping views being brushed under the table. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, running mates for the Republican Party, have received a lot of heat since their after-the-fact admission of supporting the plans for troops overseas set in place by President Obama. For some reason, having something to agree upon is a huge issue this election, which leads to the big question: what is the public reaction?In an overview of the older generations, the way people are treating this election is not much different than any other year. Looking to the younger generations, the outcome shows quite a different side of the story. Previously, the college student age group was a more boisterous group in regards to politics. Obama’s first run for office created a rush of young adult support, which may have been the reasoning behind the President’s initial win. After viewing the endless tirades of both parties, the same group that was once full of excitement has become much quieter. The brutal advertisements against both Obama and Romney have caused reluctance in this generation’s political expressions. The extra level of controversy involved in the present issues in this country makes it socially unsafe to be expressive with your views. Democrats don’t want to hear anything from Republicans and vice versa.Speaking to an opposing party member will give them permission to force-feed you with their views. The vaguely childish words and actions involved in this race have flooded into the minds of many Americans, either to react to politics, or to avoid the thought entirely. Anyone belonging to the Republican Party specifically has become a red flag, making their opinions socially outlawed with more strength than that of liberal Democrats. One way or another, all of the political savagery is making the subject of individual views taboo, now more than ever.Still, there is a select group of students that are passionate about keeping President Obama in office these next four years. Relatively speaking, the size of this group has undoubtedly become smaller, yet these students have nonetheless been sporting Obama merchandise, rallying support from peers and scurrying around town to get people registered to vote. These students have not fallen into the unspoken code of political silence. Most Romney supporters seem to have succumbed to this, because I have yet to see a rival “Students for Mitt Romney” group. It will be interesting to watch how this election pans out, with opposing views and scared, silent voters.