College is a chance to broaden your horizons and make friends with people who don't share the views you've grown up with. For many people, this is a really exciting idea. If you've been with the same kind of people for your entire life, it can be great, fun and enlightening to meet people from various walks of life. Open-mindedness means being accepting of the fact that many people have different ideals, regardless of whether or not they align with your own.
In the wake of this election, this is something we've got to remember.
I have always been liberal. In high school, most of my close friends shared my political views, or at least, we agreed on the majority of issues. But I went to a high school of about five hundred kids. In college, where just the freshmen class has more than double that, there are people with just about every possible view on every possible issue. And in another year, it wouldn't matter as much, because coming into college is one of the few times in life where everyone is actively seeking as many friends as possible.
This election was divisive and people are scared and angry, and cutting ties with those who didn't vote the same way they did, or are strictly seeking spaces of like-minded people. And the latter is okay, for now. But no one can hide among like-minded peers forever. At some point, regardless of when it is, you will be forced to interact amicably with those who see the world differently. Despite your first impressions and snap judgments, you just might become friends with them. I highly encourage it.
In college, the majority of the people you make friends with first semester are based on convenience- your hall, your building, your classes, your clubs. But you choose the people you like from those based on personality, and only later is it that you maybe get to talking about politics. You find your friends because of so many other factors, and right now it is hard for many people to reconcile their friends with the fact that they supported a different candidate.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, with regards to politics and everything else. The vast, vast majority of people who voted for a different candidate weren't aiming to hurt you, even if that's how it feels. College students, give your peers a chance. Democrats, chat with a Republican. Republicans, grab coffee with a Democrat. Hear each other out. If that's too hard, or might make you angry (which is so valid)- don't talk about it at all. Talk about where to find jeans that fit or the midterm you didn't study for. If you can't help it, talk about Hillary Clinton's rainbow of pantsuits or how funny the "personalized" emails from Joe Biden and Newt Gingrich are. Show each other where to find little donkey earrings or socks with elephants on them. Give peace a sliver of a chance, if you can. I know that this is just my perspective as a straight white woman, but I think there are more opportunities than you might imagine for discussion and friendship.
Besides, if you can't find common ground on anything else, you can always just watch this video and have a happy, bipartisan cry about how pure the love of dogs is.
