Every four years the citizens of the United States gets to practice the biggest freedom they have: they get to vote for the people who will run and be the face of the land of the free for four years. To put this power in the hands of an everyday person was unheard-of prior to this country. People sometimes forget that the ability to vote is the biggest privilege and honor of all. They forget simply because they are too busy judging their neighbor on who they would want to vote for. Sometimes, it is easy to become engulfed in the popular vote, that one forgets about the honor voting holds.
Four and eight years ago it did not matter if you put a sign on your lawn for the presidential election. The media told every side of the political story, rather than settling on one particular party to bash each year. Once, the media was reliable and unbiased, however as the media changed the outlook of the citizens changed as well. Suddenly the harshness presented in the media was mirrored onto the everyday person and thus judgment became a way of life.
The signs on your lawn now depict the person you are and the things you stand for. It foreshadows the prejudice you will feel and the friends you will make. In elections prior to this one, the prejudice and the bias was still there but it was so much less. You could have a variety of different views in your friend group and still have a drink at night. Which button you choose to push while you are in a cubicle by yourself was something personal, rather than something for the person walking down the street to judge you on.
Every day you turn on the television and the media is spinning the truth in whichever way it chooses. Wherever you talk about politics you find someone who is so strongly opposed to your thoughts that suddenly they abhor you. The good person you are, the truths you feel, and the kind heart within have taken second grounds to who you plan to vote for in this election. So while you are talking in class, sitting at the bar, or trying to make a friend try to remember everyone has their reasons. Whether they only listen to one particular news outlet so their views are skewed, they had one bad experience by a political party, or have one particular aspect they feel obscenely strong for, their vote is their own. It is an honor we each are given. However, with this honor comes the responsibility to not judge based on a vote.
