It is a sad irony to watch our nation being torn apart from the inside out by the divisions that have consumed the American political consciousness. 

After witnessing one of the most pivotal and polarizing election cycles in recent history, I have noticed that the partisanship of our country is rapidly shifting towards complete political polarization. Many view politics as a battle between two separate entities, whether it be Liberal versus Conservative, Democrats versus Republicans, or in extreme cases, good versus evil. 

Many prominent news sources have further propagated this sentiment by exclusively reporting on the most radical and extreme beliefs and actions of ‘the other side.’ The negative portrayal of opposing political groups has created negative stereotypes for members of both parties and this has resulted in the labeling, judging and discrimination of numerous individuals on the basis of their political beliefs.

Prejudice has no place in a nation that prides itself with providing citizens the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. While the importance of embracing different aspects of a person’s identity, including religion and ethnic background has been very prominent in our society,  everyone should be entitled to express their own beliefs without the fear of social persecution as well. 

It is important to realize that politics is a spectrum, and many of those who are shown to express radical beliefs towards a particular ideology on TV are not representative of the vast majority of politically-minded people in this country. Similar to how a Christian and Buddhist can have an educated and insightful conversation on the concept of an afterlife, a Republican and Democrat should also be able to converse on issues like gun control and the death penalty without speaking through clenched teeth and resisting the urge smash each other onto the nearest table. 

An acceptance of different ideologies and cooperative, rather than combative, political conversation, whether it be on the family dinner table or in the halls of Congress, is absolutely pivotal to the integrity of a ‘United’ States of America. We are all Americans after all, and we must put the interests of our nation’s most fundamental value, freedom, before our own political reservations.🔳