The night of November 8th, 2016, I bawled my eyes out. I was personally invested in this election. I had campaigned for Hillary (my first campaign experience!) and I had attended the DNC in July of the same year. I was there when Hillary Clinton accepted the nomination for the highest office in the United States, the first time a woman of a major party had reached such a feat. 2016 was the year the glass ceiling almost broke, and up until that November night, I believed it would. The results of that night rocked me to my core.
I hated (and still do) Donald Trump with my entire being. He is everything I believe America shouldn't be. I think he is crude, racist, ignorant, and close-minded. I didn't hate him because of the party he "belongs" to, I hated him for how he presents himself and his brand. Plus, I don't agree with most of his politics.
When I came to college, I came under the notion that I would be surrounded by liberal people, a big change from the town I grew up in. I thought my closest friends here at Temple would have a similar mindset, and even what we didn't agree on, they would help make me a more informed person.
And for the most part, I was right. Most of my friends have similar political leanings and the things we don't agree on lead us to have very open and constructive conversation. Expect there is one very important person who I butt heads with the most, and that is my boyfriend. The Trump supporter. (Full disclosure, I love him, but I hate his politics).
The first time I met my boyfriend, we sat outside and talked for three hours. We talked about our families, high school, our majors, and of course, politics. And if I'm being honest, when he told me he liked Donald Trump, I was taken back. Especially because I had just spent a very long time shit talking the President.
I don't want to think of myself as a close-minded person, I really do make an effort not to be. I believe that someone can vote for what they believe in, and that doesn't make them a bad person. My boyfriend, I truly believe and know in my heart, would never say anything our President has made headlines for. He is genuinely one of the best and kindest people I have ever meant, and I don't attribute any of that to who he votes for. He is a good person, and for me, that's what matters when I'm choosing who to be with.
Very often nowadays it seems that people won't reach across party lines. Sure, I am a Democrat to the bottom of my feet, and will probably vote blue forever, but that doesn't mean I will isolate and not seek to learn from people who differ from myself. That is exactly what creates hostile environments, both politically and socially. What's the point of being open-minded, educated voter if you refuse to hear the other side of the story? There is nothing you can gain from the isolationist mindset.
Looking at this situation at a broader level, being close-minded is exactly what the infamous Travel Ban was. If you make a generalization, based on religion, gender, political views etc, you are doing exactly what you are claiming to hate. Yes, I do argue with people (my boyfriend included) who had opposing views. You can hate the political beliefs, but you can't hate the person unless you truly believe they are heinous. And then, in that case, go ahead.
But until someone says the things you hate, acts on horrible beliefs (racism, sexism etc) or makes you question their morals in some other way, give them a chance.
I gave the boy who told me he likes Trump a chance. And I'm really glad I did. Still a Democrat though.
