It seems like almost every time I go on Facebook I see some kind of new status basically stating that if you support "so and so" you will be unfriended. Do not get me wrong, I believe that Facebook and other social media outlets should not be censored from political rhetoric merely because it could offend someone. In fact, I believe that people should be challenged. But the line is drawn when someone goes as far as to generalize and label me as a person because of my political beliefs.
My political stance does not define me as a person.
When I am describing myself, the first thing that comes to my head is most certainly not my political affiliation or my presidential candidate of choice by any means. I do understand that we tend to favor candidates that align with our morals and beliefs; however, there is no candidate out there that 100 percent represents my ideals by any means. So how can we jump to rash statements, such as, "If you support this person there is something wrong with you."
I would also like to add the fact that unless you actually follow the debates, watch a balanced mix of left-wing, right-wing and neutral-based news sources, and do adequate research on various topics pertaining to the platforms of various candidates, you are doing yourself a disservice. It is easy to refuse to watch Fox News because you do not have conservative beliefs, but it truly is essential to actually listen and empathize with both sides of the spectrum... to the best of your ability.
There is no political candidate out there that represents my ideals 100 percent by any means, and I think that holds true to many others beyond myself. In many situations, people need to hone in on one key point that is their first priority. Whoever represents or will execute this action to the best of their ability, usually ends up getting the vote. In other words, a candidate of my choosing may only truly represent one facet that I find essential to my personal situation. This is not the case in every scenario, but it is a thought to entertain.
The bottom line is that at some point, this country will need to find a middle ground. We will need to compromise. And the first step to doing this is to find an understanding; an understanding of others who share contrasting ideas than our own. We are entitled to our opinions and to our beliefs, but we cannot judge a person first glance based on his/her political affiliation. It is not what we believe that defines us, but how we execute and act on our beliefs.
