Typically, democrats tend to lean more to the left wing while republicans tend to lean more right. Of course there people who are democrats that lean more towards the right. This would represent someone who is more economically conservative but socially more liberal.
Liberalism advocates for economic and social equality. Equal opportunity is the most important ideal to liberals. It is believed that any measures dealing with discrimination must be abolished, and inequalities must be lessened by all means possible.
The social inequality that always stood out to me growing up was the LGBT community. My mom worked in a hair salon until I was 16, and some of the people who worked there were gay. Growing up, this was as normal to me as someone being straight. It never even fazed me that it was “different”. I remember walking home from middle school with my best friend at the time and she said something along the lines of that it grossed her our when people of the same sex kiss. All I replied back was that it probably grosses them out when we kiss the same sex. That ended the conversation really quick. There was also a time in middle school when a rumor went around about a boy in my grade was gay. He got harassed and teased, and I remember trying to empathize with him and he reported me. I talked to the vice principle, which of course was terrifying, but she said she could tell that I was trying to comfort him and was not trying to tease him like everyone else. She even called my mom saying that she was shocked of how I was so normal I was to the idea of someone being gay. But again, that was my normal.
In high school, I started becoming close to this girl (and we are still really close friends), Abby, whose mom became a late in life lesbian. Her mom was married, had two kids, and from what I understood, it was very sudden that she came out to her family and had stated she had fallen in love with another woman. Abby and I became friends after this, so I actually had no idea this was going on for quite some time. Abby is one of the strongest people I know, and handled this change so normally. Her mom and her partner are two of the most amazing people. They are so caring and giving and always made Abby and her friends feel at home. Abby’s family was normal to me.
Of course there were other inequalities growing up that didn’t faze me. My mom and I lived in an apartment in Seattle for a couple years. Everyone in my area of Seattle lived in apartments or town houses. Even when my friends lived in nicer two story homes it was never apparent to us that our living situations were different. When my mom and I moved to Kirkland we were in our own one story house. I felt like I was moving up. We could finally own two cats because there was no pet rule where we now lived. All my friends who went to my elementary school were in the same situation as me again; one story home, town house, or apartments. It wasn’t until I started going to middle school I noticed an income gap. These kids from up the hill lived in what were like mansions to me. They had a maid that came once a week, gardeners, a TWO story house equipped with a bonus room with every gaming station possible, back yards, and a bag of chips. But even knowing their houses and life styles, when it was time to go camp and I was told it was too expensive that’s when it became clear to me that I was different from them. I made up excuses when I couldn’t do things because I was afraid I wouldn’t be accepted for some reason. The day I turned 16 I started applying to jobs, and from there paid for everything extra I needed like clothes and shoes, dresses for homecoming and prom, spirit gear for football games, school project supplies, and the Oreos my mom never knew I was stashing in my room because she’s a health freak. Even though I noticed a definite gap between my friends and I, in the end I really don’t care. I know my mom and step dad and my real dad have done everything they can to give my sister and I a good life, and I appreciate everything they have done for me.
I think one of the most obvious inequalities we have today is the violence and racism towards African-Americans. Going through history class and learning about the Civil Rights Movement I guess still doesn’t mean that discrimination ended. I think we are all familiar with the shooting in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. Michael Brown was shot seven times after being caught on camera stealing a package of cigars on camera by a local policeman who was actually responding to a different incident. Brown was unarmed. The case was dismissed, the policeman was not indicted, and protests and civil unrest erupted. In 2015 police killed at the least 100 unarmed African American people, this is five times the rate as unarmed white people. This inequality is obviously a problem, and has sparked the Black Lives Matter movement, which intends to end racism and discrimination towards African Americans.
I was raised to be liberal, and I think even if I wasn’t I would still have a sense for that I am pro equality. I understand that there are certain things that will never be equal (like income), but there are certain aspects that can be made equal from that, like access to quality education. We live in a world in which everyone is different, and comes from different backgrounds, and I think we need to start being more open minded and accepting of that fact.
