First and foremost let me say this: I love the United States of America and all it stands for. I’ve been privileged enough to be born in this free nation, and have taken advantage of a lot of its perks, such as being able to wear whatever I want, practice whatever religion I identify with, and go to school like so many young females elsewhere are unable to do. With one of the most scandalous and conflicting presidential campaign seasons underway, I’ve come to realize just how important politics are in the nation I call home. Happening every four years, it was not a big deal for me in previous presidential elections to listen to what candidates had to say, nor to engage in the process.

Now, however, I’ve become strongly pulled into this election. Being it's my first to actually participate in, the shocking reality that I have a small contribution to make in who runs our country was a very empowering feeling. I’m not sure what party I associate myself the closest with (I just turned 18, for goodness sake), however, I find myself identifying closer with liberal social values. To me, gay marriage, abortion, women’s participation and contribution in the military and the workplace, and the ability to identify as a sex other than your biological sex aren’t even up for debate anymore. The United States has already made giant steps into advancing, and there is no way that a president would be able to retract those advancements without getting approval from Congress, which would never happen. I’ve always been a believer that if it does not affect you personally in any way, then why is it your responsibility to tell others how they should live?

In recent months, I’ve seen the powerful, inspiring country I live in become something I barely recognize. Groups like Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter fighting against one another for essentially the same reasons -- one putting more emphasis on African-American lives than the other -- have begun to split our nation apart. The presidential election, much like those activist groups, have split people in our nation apart like I have never seen before.

I don’t like Trump, but I don’t like Hillary either. I don’t think Trump has any notable or concrete policies, nor do I appreciate his racist, homophobic or sexist comments. I don’t think Hillary is the right woman to be the first woman President, nor do I believe that her scandal should be as overlooked as it was; what Hillary Clinton did was irresponsible and inexcusable, and should have absolutely been punished. But if we overlook those differences, and we come down to how the individuals whom support those candidates conduct themselves, it is shocking how cruel and thoughtless people can be. It is our duty as Americans to put aside our differences and come together to cohesively make our country the absolutely best it can be --not tear one another down because our opinions or beliefs differ.

I am disappointed in the American people. This entire country was built on freedom, on immigration and on the dream that it didn’t matter where you came from, what you practiced, what you were good at or what you looked like. This entire country was built on unity, a unity of which I have watched slowly but surely spoil. Our integrity is being undermined, what with Black Lives Matter activists violently assaulting people, a man pledging allegiance to ISIS and shooting dozens of innocent people in a gay nightclub, Trump threatening to kick out families of which our entire country was built upon, and Hillary sneaking behind our backs with private emails that in the long run would only hurt us. I’m not saying everyone who supports a specific activist group or supports a presidential candidate acts in these ways, but how much longer are we going to put up with this? We are the greatest country in the world, and yet we’re letting people start to chip away at that. We need to fix this (and fast) if our country is going to make any sort of improvements regarding the unity of the American people.

I am disappointed in the American people for losing sight of what the United States of America was all about.