The political discourse and hatred in America has become both devastating and dangerous. Political chaos has led to the 2021 January 6th Capitol Attack, assassination attempts on President Donald Trump, and hatred scattered across every corner of social media and the States.
This does not represent who the United States is as a country and it is not what they stand for. America is the land of opportunity, and Americans can only make change and act on those opportunities if they respect and listen to each other.
Politicians are part of the problem
As extremism grows, views of politicians are changing too. There is a deification of candidates stemming from the most extremist members of the party, who will agree with whatever the candidate says without even thinking about it, with the mentality that the candidate will “save them.”
On the flip side, there is a demonization of the opposing candidate, with voters not even willing to listen to the candidate’s policies or ideas and classifying the candidate as “evil.” According to the opinion piece “The Etiquette of Dissent” from Town and Country, there is a tendency to dissent opposing opinions, but there is a failure to dissent respectfully. This results in demonizing the opposing view.
There are Republicans who will vote for the former president Donald Trump no matter what, and there are Democrats who will never vote for Trump and hate him with everything that they have. There are Republicans who will never vote for Kamala Harris regardless of her views on certain policies, and Democrats who will vote for her regardless of anything that she may say between now and November.
“You should never view a political candidate as anything other than what they are, which is a person to represent you and your ideas,” Gabrielle McCall ‘26 said.
The politicians themselves fuel this, constantly attacking their opponent instead of promoting their own policies and actions. Nearly every political ad you see is attacking the “other side” and villainizing the opposing candidate and party, and this only fuels the fire.
Politicians are fanning the flames of fury in America. While they should be focusing on uniting us, they are putting all of their efforts into dividing us.
The party vs. the politician
When you think about politics, you do not think about the prominent Democratic values or how Republicans will go about certain issues, you think about Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. There is an increasing emphasis on the candidate themselves rather than the ideals of their party. And while it is okay to differ from some beliefs of one’s party, voters often assume that the values of a candidate are identical to the values of their party, and that is just not true.
The ideals and beliefs of the party are a bit more diverse, versus a candidate who stands unwavering on certain issues. When there is an emphasis on just the candidate, Americans are lost solely in the beliefs of the politician. It gives voters something extremely precise to have discourse upon, rather than the beliefs of the whole party, which may not even be reflected in the candidate fully.
“People are concerned with the label of which party they are but they don’t always match up with the views of that party,” Ms. Beren, former government teacher said.
Americans actually may have more politically in common than they think, but they become so enamored with labels. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 39% of Americans wish there were more political parties to even choose from in the first place.
“The majority of Americans actually tend to be very conservative in terms of economics but also very liberal in terms of social aspects. And that is the hardest part, because most Americans are in that moderate little middle. So it is whatever issue that is plaguing the nation at the time and that will skew who they vote for,” Ms. Beren said.
“We need to get everybody back on track to what democracy is and back to true American values,” Lily Dubas ‘26 said.
American democracy is in crisis
Americans are so distracted in fighting that they have lost sight of what they are even fighting for, losing their rhythm in the dance of democracy. While Americans are knee deep in the flames of hatred, no actual fires are being put out. Nothing constructive is being talked about and no change is being made. According to the opinion piece “America’s Political Turmoil” from the New York Times, American democracy has been in decline for the past decade and has quickly accelerated into full-on chaos.
So how do we combat the political fires of hatred that are only getting hotter? We need to start listening to each other. Think before you type. And above all else, have some respect for your fellow Americans.
Republicans and Democrats may hold different beliefs and ideals, but they both have one thing in common: being American. Americans have to stop condemning people of the opposing view as their enemy, and start to hold some respect for one another, no matter how far-fetched the opposing side may sound.
“Sometimes words are said in the heat of the moment, so you probably just need to step back and really listen. And at the same time that other person that may be at odds with the conversation topic will also need to take a step back and hear as well as they were heard,” Ms. Nikki West, Executive Director of Mission and Inclusion said.
Without listening to one another, America will no longer be able to function as a proud nation with a variety of ideas. When Americans unite, history has proven that they can do amazing things, such as the American Revolution, getting through the Great Depression, and fighting in the World Wars. America is stronger because of its diversity. Its union despite adversity is what makes it a country of camaraderie.
“How we respond to these conversations and situations are what set us apart as a nation that values education and growth. While we may acknowledge that there is some division, we cannot let it define us as a nation and we cannot stop learning and striving for better,” Mrs. Schools said.
