I get it, political views have significant effects on a person’s behavior to an extent. However, I thoroughly believe that people are inherently good independent of their liberal or conservative value. I tend to believe people make bad decisions, but overall, people aren’t bad. Going with this logic, people can have varying political stances and still be great people foundationally. Before you rip me a new one, hear me out. I’m not picking sides, but I am saying we as a society need to be better.
A surprising fact of life is you’ll have conflicting opinions with those you like or even love. Specifically, right now I’m referring to those you love who may have different views on who’s running the country, what issues are relevant, and preferred basketball teams. People have different political views from you and can still be a good person. They can and will have a different stance on abortion, health care, education, gun control, immigration, or college basketball. Just because your person likes the CSU Rams or Duke, doesn’t mean they’re a bad person. It means they have poor taste in college teams. Just because your person endorses Trump, doesn’t mean their behavior is reflective of him. It means you should actively strive to make space for a dialogue about both of your views.
Discussing politics shouldn’t be so taboo. However, it should also not be causing stress to a point that causes us to be shouting at each other. We need to be having productive conversations about the politics of race, sexism, discrimination, and other social issues that affect us daily. We need to start being more than tolerant on both sides.
These conversations can be hard. I’ve noticed much animosity between people who are Trump supporters and non-supporters. I understand both sides have valid points to validate their views. With the current social climate of the United States, the last thing we really need is everyone segregating themselves into camps of pro Trump and anti Trump.
Nothing can be solved by people taking sides and refusing to have an open dialogue. The media is doing a great job of encouraging division amongst the American people, our people. Remember, our people, we are united. We should no longer operate under this mindset of ‘Us’ and ‘Them.’ We as American citizens should be coming together. What good is destroying ourselves from the inside going to do? I assume we all want a better future for us, so we need everyone to do their part and try to do right by each other, meaning taking the time to listen and try to understand each other.
Whatever your views and the views of your liked/loved one (s), remember this at the end of the day, you like/love that person for who they are not their political views.