Modern day American politics has boiled down to two very distinct ideologies. One is a conservative Republican, the other a ;iberal Democrat. It seems as if there is no actual thought process that went into today’s description of either ideology, only basic stereotypes and generalizations. The Conservative Republican being elderly and wealthy, whereas the Liberal Democrat is younger, and of more working class. These descriptions are entirely based on generalizations, as many people do not fit into those medians; however, for arguments sake, let’s roll with it.

Most conservative Republicans are… just that, conservative. They disapprove of the expansion of government into personal rights (gun control, tax increases ), they are heavily pro-business, prefer a increase in military spending, and identify as “true Americans” with values directly from the founding fathers.

Most liberal Democrats are… just that, liberal. They approve of having a larger government ( social services, universal healthcare ), they support minimum wage increases, prefer a decrease in military spending, and identify as “progressive Americans” who seek to change and improve America.

In essence both ideologies have stark differences, completely opposite really. The biggest problem I see with the modern perception of politics is that individuals are heavily discouraged from being on both sides of the debate.

When individuals are asked about their political beliefs it’s never about particular issues, such as gay rights or military spending. The question is usually phrased in one of two ways: “Are you Republican or Democrat?” or “Are you liberal or conservative?” That is where American politics has failed. Those two simple questions have become an “all of the above” answer two every political issue, which just blows my mind! How can such a powerful and complex country which is built on being a melting pot for the entire world identify all of it’s beliefs in two categories?

Complex issues are boiled down to 140 characters, not even 140 words. A tweet or status update filled with rhetoric, and no facts, and no information, is as useless to the construction of our political atmosphere as me talking to a wall.

Another interesting social media aspect of politics is that every single person has the ability to share their own personal opinions and beliefs on every issue, which seems like a great idea… but it’s the exact opposite. I’ve seen the words liberal and conservative thrown around all over social media. It may be individuals ranting about “liberals taxing everyone 90 percent” or about “conservatives deporting millions,” or them sharing an entirely biased article from an even more biased website.

At the end of the day, the result is an “us versus them” mentality. Where an individual must always stand with his/her own side and not dare step on or worse over the border. Where people are more worried about supporting their own team than whats best for the country as a whole. Where individuals would much rather call each other names, and belittle each others beliefs merely because they themselves don’t identify with them. Rather than work together the country divides itself with vague and completely irrelevant titles, and unfathomable homages paid to time periods hundreds of years ago when it was “better back then”.

So the next time you see someone call another person a socialist or communist for being a liberal, instead of talking about the issue at hand, step in and intervene. The next time you see someone call another person a racist old conservative, step in and intervene. We are not children. Children do not discuss politics, adults do. Adults are meant to have meaningful discourse about the world and politics, not jeer, and taunt one another because they have a different belief. Not only is that incredibly infantile, but more importantly it achieves nothing but frivolous conflict about who offended who.

Politics and political beliefs are different for each and every individual, both Republicans and Democrats have members within themselves who have very different political scales. However the most important thing that everyone should know is that political parties are meant to challenge the other side to bring a better alternative, not tear them down. So let me ask you this: are you a Republican, a Democrat, or an American?