Disclaimer: I do not and will not support Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election. In the nature of being completely honest, I do not know who I fully support yet, if I end up fully supporting any of the major candidates. I am an American citizen who takes stances on issues, not candidates. This can be applied to any and all politicians or candidates in this election, but I see this phenomenon occur the most often with particularly Trump supporters.

I don't know if you've noticed yet, but Donald Trump is running for President of the United States of America.

I know, I know-- shocker. Still waiting to see flying pigs, too. But it's happening. I'm not entirely sure it's real. I keep waiting for Ashton Kutcher to surprise as all and yell "You've been Punk'd!" (Seriously, Ashton, this has gone too far... Any day now would be great.)

I kid, because chances are that if you've had a conversation with someone any time in the last ten months, you've discussed the wild and crazy ride that has been his campaign.

Can't say I'm too impressed, to be honest, but I do know that my social media feeds and late night comedy shows are very, very appreciative. If I had a dollar for every time I saw an angry post shared or commented on come across my Facebook, I'd have enough money to run for president, too, despite being a twenty-two year old girl who did not major in political science and who has a hate/hate relationship with pantsuits. The biggest sensation that I've seen, as of late, is the whole "If you seriously support Trump, unfriend me. I don't want to have anything to do with you." And when I do see it, it makes me really, really sad.

I get it. The hateful rhetoric and the asinine behavior makes you uncomfortable, and you entirely have the right to not have to see it, while they have the right to free speech and to say what they believe. But being uncomfortable is not a bad thing-- because it means that you are listening, seeking to educate yourself, understanding the world around you, and thinking for yourself, and disagreeing. Thank you. For the love of God, our country needs more people like that.

But I mean-- does that really work? Does telling someone to unfriend you really mean that they unfriend you? Because if that is the case, then I need to post "If you seriously support people who eat the entire apple, including the core, unfriend me. I don't want to have anything to do with you." That's just WEIRD, people. Really.

I don't think it does. I think it just makes people scared to vocalize what they believe. Or it makes them angry. So maybe we're going about this in entirely the wrong way.

Think of these people as a friend of yours who is in need. Maybe they have an alcohol problem, or they are investing all of their money into a business that will, without a doubt, tank in a few years. Would you really ditch someone who needs your help? Your advice? Your presence?

Think about it! Trump's entire campaign is basically a cult! If you saw them trying to drink the Kool-Aid, it is YOUR DUTY to slap the cup out of their hands and convince them of how absolutely horrible that idea is! By unfriending them, you might as well be pouring them the cup yourself. AT BEST, you are pushing them farther and farther into the grimy hands of their leader.

Instead of penalizing the people, criticize the ideas he has put in their mind. Expose them to how wrong they are. Flood THEIR dash with your own thoughts and opinions. Force them to deal with the discourse-- which is basically the entire point of a public sphere and democracy. Listen. Engage. Fight back. There is still a lot of time for these people to change their mind... so change their minds.

Without ideas to form a foundation on, Trump's 'people' have absolutely nothing. So wage your war against the ideologies instead.

You're probably reading this and thinking that Trump supporters are too stubborn and unreasonable to even try to debate with them, and to a certain extent, that is right. There will always be people that refuse to be the bigger person and listen. But guess what, literally no one ever in the history of the world worth listening to said "If it's too hard, just don't try."

So how about this idea: Be better than them. Show them how awesome it is to NOT be narrow-minded and closed off to new ideas. Don't create that little bubble around you to shelter you from bullies and meany-pants. Pop the bubble, get passionate about what you see, and set the whole gosh-darn dashboard on fire with your eloquent, educated, and fact-based retorts. The first step to that is to know how they think, and how to combat that way of thinking.

Remember, there is no right answer in politics, including yours. There are only opinions. (Some of which, should be kept to one's self, but we'll save that for a different day.) The closest we get to a 'right answer' is to talk about possible answers as much as humanly possible. (This is coming from someone who HATES to talk politics.)

Lastly-- it's mean.

Politics are not people. Your misinformed Facebook friend is NOT Donald Trump. Don't let personal political beliefs push great people out of your life. (Unless their stance is to change the National Anthem to 'Party in the USA'. That is where I draw the line.) Is a Donald Trump supporter really the worst thing someone can be? I don't think so. A serial killer is worse. Or someone who puts their fingers on every freaking chip in the bowl before picking one to eat. Those are the worst.

It is possible to disagree with someone, engage them in conversation, and still remain friends with them. I promise. Hell, I have FAMILY that supports Donald Trump, but I'm not going to push them out of my life for it. Plus, holidays and family reunions don't need to be any more awkward than they already are.

Seriously, it's just a stupid news feed. Be a little more resistant than that. Hang in there. Drink a beer. In a few months, this election season will be over, and people will find the next thing to bitch about. You've got bigger fish to fry than your third grade teacher's aunt's god-son, anyway.

You don't like what I'm saying? Then unfriend me. (Jk, please don't. That was a joke.)