“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation,
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
As a child, I would stand for the flag and repeat those words alongside my classmates. And that was one of the few times I consistently felt united with my peers. As we have become adults, it feels like we have forgotten the importance of uniting as “one Nation,” especially after this past election.
I respect the opinions of both the Republican and Democratic sides of the political viewpoints; however, I disagree with the negative treatment toward each other after the election. This includes shunning the other party for who they voted for, unfollowing people or being flat-out rude.
All of this negativity led to me taking a social media cleanse just to escape the cloud of toxicity and hatred floating around the internet. I understand being upset when a certain party is elected that you were not aiming for, but this should not be a driving factor to further divide our nation.
The day following the election, my social media feed consisted of people from both parties posting political statements. Usually, this does not faze me. Yet, this time, the political posts were not just statements of support but harsh and rude towards the other party. I was shocked. I do not remember such an extreme reaction to the previous elections. I understand a lot was on the line depending on who won the votes, but emotions spiked to new levels.
Additionally, let’s not allow social media to control our emotions. Don’t believe everything that you see online, research it first. When you are researching, also take into consideration that there are extremists in both political parties, and the mainstream media loves to highlight these extreme points. When this is done, form your own opinions and emotions. Then, it is OK to have those intense emotions and reactions.
Most importantly, it’s OK to have differing viewpoints. To provide an example, let’s not talk about politics for a second. I, personally, absolutely hate seafood. The smell itself sends me into a fight-or-flight response. Regardless, I do not hate people or shame them when they tell me they love seafood. Now, I know this is a minimal consequence scenario, but why can’t the same aspect apply to other things in life?
Very rarely in life will you 100% have the exact same opinion or view on a topic as someone else. And once again, that’s OK. Personally, I love hearing a diverse set of opinions from my own because it helps me expand my knowledge and empathize with others. Every single person has gone through a different set of challenges in life that help shape their opinions, meaning we should not belittle other’s opinions.
If you don’t agree with someone, nod your head or swipe past the post and continue on. It does not have to lead to a negative result. And, hot take, it should DEFINITELY not be the deciding factor of whether you are friends with a person or not. At the end of the day, this negativity will not solve anything.
Kamala Harris, during her concession speech, said: “A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy and tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it.”
With all of this in mind, let’s not allow whom you voted for to stand in the way of taking action toward some of the world’s issues. Instead of spreading hate, let’s promote change.
Make a difference in the local ways that you can like attend city council meetings, join a commission or union, and volunteer. Part of this includes voting on a local level, which can impact a person just as much and is how most change is introduced into politics. Elections happen more frequently than the heavily advertised presidential elections. When you participate in these political activities, it ultimately will begin to bring our communities together.
Saying the other party is terrible for this reason or that does not solve the issue but further divides the two political parties. No change from either party is going to happen if we do not listen to the opinions of both sides. Be a voice that promotes change instead of hatred.
I know this is a time of confusion and fear with a new president and cabinet coming into office. However, hatred should not be added to this list of emotions. So, during this very divisive time, let’s not allow who you voted for to stand in the way of fixing the issues at hand. Let’s, instead, come together as one Nation and make a change.
