I am a political science student at a major research university. There's a button for a presidential candidate on my backpack, and I think I've retweeted Politico four times in the past three days. I wear an Apple Watch that gets CNN updates to my wrist at the top of every hour, and I think the people who write legislation are underrated. I registered to vote on the day I got my driver's license, voted in the first election I could and in every one since, despite the fact it requires driving home at 6AM on a Tuesday morning. I've joked about moving to Canada if Donald Trump becomes president and I think if you didn't know me personally, you could probably paint me as the textbook political millennial.

Backpack button removed, that's not a badge I wear proudly, and here's why: political millennials are the worst.

Obviously, that sweeping statement isn't going to apply to every single 18-27-year-old across America that's engaged in a Facebook comments box debate recently, but every generalization starts somewhere. I'm not going to pretend like I'm completely innocent and I hope this article doesn't apply to you at all, but after living full-fledged in the most annoyingly opinionated segment of my generation for two years, here are some things I've observed, and some things I'd like to change before my generation starts running for office, designing campaign Snapchat filters, and elections get #lit.

There's no use in arguing over something you're never going to change, so sit down.

As opinionated people ourselves, you would think that we'd understand the idea of steadfast beliefs. Ask any politically-minded person how likely one conversation is to change their stance on any issue, and I'd guarantee that person would say there's no chance at all. But despite that, why do we argue so much?

There's a difference between discourse and argument -- I'll always respect someone who can talk issues and gain new perspective and consider the thoughts of others, but my personal experience with peers would suggest we air most often on the side of the argument.

Instead of discourse, guns blazing, we're gonna tell you what we think, because we're right. And by God, are we surrounded by idiots.

Leaders bring people together, not divide them up. It's not okay to hate someone because of the way they see the world.

I've made the joke before that party registration is a prerequisite requirement for any girl I'd date, but I'm not serious about that. I know some people who undoubtedly are, though, and while romances between political people might require likemindedness, you can't possibly say the same for your friends or people you have conversations with.

Learning to disagree with people is one of the most important parts of growing up, and learning to have relationships with those people is even more important. Especially considering the fact that most of us would think of ourselves as leaders, it's not at all alright to be divisive.

Leaders bring people together -- Republicans, Democrats, and everyone in between, and most elected officials I know haven't ever won an election by winning their own base and entirely alienating the other. Let's start looking for ways to make more friends, not opponents.

Friends are good, even if they don't vote like you do.

If people don't like you, they're never going to listen to you, and they're never going to help you. Stop making excuses, and more importantly, start being nice.

I know so many people who justify being disliked by claiming to simply be more right than almost everyone they know. Nothing about that is acceptable.

A vast majority of our peers have no opinions at all surrounding politics and most of those who do have no idea why. Politically-minded and well-informed, we're in the minority, so maybe that's why we think more people want to hear from us than actually do.

With that in mind, I'm going to posit that angry fast-talking at someone while rolling your eyes at their every word isn't doing much to make civic involvement seem attractive, and it's doing even less to make you seem like a nice person.

I don't think we're inherently mean, necessarily, but we need to start working on being nicer. Not everything's an argument to be won.

You aren't always right, and even when you are, that doesn't mean everyone else is wrong.

The setup of our political system is rooted in a dependence on compromise. Two legislative bodies, each serving a different group of people, can bounce policy back and forth, tweaking and crafting until a final product is signed by the executive, but it can be recalled by an overseeing judiciary.

If that's true, why are we, as political millennials, so hellbent on being right?

This touches on the same thoughts I discussed above, about being divisive. It's okay to disagree, so long as you agree to do so. A person's politics are rooted in their morals, their values, their backgrounds, and so many other intangibles that are impossible to label as right or wrong.

If we disagree with someone, we're quick to label that person as wrong and ourselves as right. How about instead of being wrong, we think of other people as simply different? Not everything's a matter of winning and losing and of right and wrong.

There is undoubtedly a time and a place for every type of conversation. That time and place is hardly ever in a comments box on Facebook.

Sharing and reading articles and web pages on Facebook is becoming a very popular way to distribute and consume information. I share articles all the time that I find interesting, and I guess the argument could be made that based on a social share, I'm inviting discussion.

But here's my response to that: there's a big difference between a comment that says "This is interesting. Let's talk about this some time over a cup of coffee," and a 1,000-word manifesto on how you feel about mountaintop removal.

Nobody wants to read 1,000 words. If you've got a thousand words in your head that are itching to get out, start a blog, join the staff of Odyssey, or start a journal. Hijacking an innocent Facebook post not only makes you look like you assume you know better than someone else, but it also assumes someone else wants to hear from you.

Nine times out of ten, neither is true.

I'm going to leave you with this, a quote from Henry Clay, one of the greatest Kentuckians in history and in my mind, the greatest politician to have a losing electoral record:

All legislation, all government, all society is founded upon the principle of mutual concession, politeness, comity, courtesy; upon these everything is based...Let him who elevates himself above humanity, above its weaknesses, its infirmities, its wants, its necessities, say, if he pleases, I will never compromise; but let no one who is not above the frailties of our common nature disdain compromises.

Be nice to people, y'all. Nobody's ever gonna vote for you if we keep this up.