January has brought many movements, controversies, and historical events. On January 20, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president. The next day, women everyone with a Women's March that took place on every single continent (that's including Antarctica!). And just a week into his presidency, Trump has signed multiple executive orders, one of which has banned refugees from numerous countries. With each of these events taken place, I've talked with my friends about their opinions of each these historic events. Each conversation has brought arguments about who's right, who's wrong, and whether you can lean on both sides of the political spectrum.
Every single time I bring up a controversial issue, my friends are quick to judge my opinions. We've grown up in the south with our very conservative parents and grandparents. All of us turned 18 in time to vote in the most recent election. We've talked about our views, debated on the nominees' stances during the debates, and tried to guess who each of us voted for, or rather, guess who I voted for.
You see, I took this election very seriously. When the election came down to Clinton and Trump, I did a decent amount of research about their histories, their views, and what they planned to do. I took notes during each of the debates to figure out who I sided with more. I went into a voting booth on October 28 for early voting holding my breath. I had done the research, talked with my friends and family, and prayed. The only thing I could do now was pray that I made the right choice.
Since the official election day, my friends have poked and prodded me to find out who I voted for. I finally told them against my wishes and gave them a speech to go along with it. I explained why I made my choices and the things that I agreed with him or her. I named the hopes I had for this person if he or she to win the election.
Here's my problem: anytime we talk about anything political, I get scolded by my dear friends. If I do not agree 100% with the conservative beliefs I am deemed a liberal. As I've said from the beginning, I went into this political season without a clue who I would vote for. I didn't like either candidate, but I felt it necessary as a citizen to do my duty to vote. It wasn't a choice of voting or not, but rather who I would vote for. When Trump and Clinton won their parties, my friends quickly made their decisions of who they'd vote for. Me, not so much.
When Trump won, of course, we talked about it and discussed our thoughts. One of us would bring up an issue or proposal from the president-elect. The times I would disagree, I was automatically labeled a liberal. Here's the thing: I'm not a liberal. I don't know what to call my political affiliation. I lean too far with republicans to call myself an independent, but I also agree with many things democrats stand for.
In this age where political beliefs are literally destroying cities and lives, let us not chastise our friends and family for their personal beliefs. Just because they don't agree with you, doesn't mean they are lesser. Our country is divided enough already, there's no need to divide it more simply because of views.