I come from a household with one parent that is a diehard Republican and the other is a diehard Democrat. I've heard debate after debate and many disagreements over the years. Because of this, I've always turned my head the other way when it comes to politics because I never knew which side to choose. Nowadays it's almost impossible to act like politics doesn't exist. It's everywhere you look, the tv, our smartphones, in the workplace and so on.
When I turned 18-years-old and the time came for me to register to vote, I put myself down as an Independent. Even though I come from an immensely Republican town and my views are more Republican, I still agree with some Democratic decisions. I vote based on my opinions and my views, not the way a party sees them. Going off to a liberal arts college, I knew I would be a minority for what would probably be the first time in my life. Oh, boy was I right.
Being a Trump supporter and someone who is against gun control made me almost seem unheard of on my campus. Like I said, I usually keep quiet when it comes to politics. It's bad enough that we have news stations and social media shoving it down our throats every day, now at college, I have professors and students doing the same thing. When I did decide to voice my opinion, beliefs or way of thinking, I was either told my opinion was wrong or persuaded the other direction. They would even argue with me about it. How can my opinion be wrong? It's MY opinion. I'm tired of being told everywhere I go on campus that my beliefs aren't right, that it's unacceptable that I want or think these things.
This isn't just a thing of 2018 either. Colleges have been this way for years. My mom remembers it being the same way when she went to college and that was many moons ago. My sister even had to take a class on being liberal when she went to college about a decade ago. I'm all for learning about politics and our government, but unless that's your major we shouldn't be forced to.
I believe that everyone should have their own opinion. That's what makes us unique as people, we don't all think the same and share the same experiences. I say I'm a Trump supporter. Do I agree with everything he has done in office? Of course not, but he is our president, therefore I'm going to support and respect him. I know that many people would like to fight me on this or make me think otherwise and some people have, but if there is something I can control that is my opinion, my voice and my outlook on the world and I will always strive to embrace those three things whether others agree with them or not.