Politics have played a role in my life for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was little, my parents and my adult family friends called me "mature" for my age because I always wanted to talk about politics, which was definitely not the typical topic of conversation for other 6 to 8-year-olds. Obviously most of the political talk went over my head at that age, but I did understand one thing for certain: My parents were Republicans. Most of our family friends were Republican also. And, being the typical child of any politically partisan parents, I considered myself a Republican.

For someone growing up in Massachusetts, one of the most liberal states in the country, I had little knowledge about what Democrats stood for. I just knew what Republicans believed, why my parents became Republicans, and why I should be a Republican. That was enough for me. Or at least, so I thought.

As I got to high school, I became exposed to what Democrats believed through school, volunteer work, and even through my own research out of my curiosity and love for politics. As I gained more and more knowledge about both sides of the political spectrum, I grew an affinity for political debate. When I would eat breakfast with my dad before school, I would always challenge him to debates on certain issues, with me taking the liberal point of view and him the conservative point of view. Even if I agreed with his conservative view on an issue, I would still take the opposing side because I loved the thrill of thinking on my feet to come up with a good arguing point with the other point of view. This desire for learning about each political party and their specific views inspired me to take the AP US Government and Politics course my senior year in high school, especially since the 2016 presidential election was in full swing.

As I studied hard in this course, continuously debated with my parents, and as I followed the bazaar 2016 presidential election, I realized I kept getting more and more frustrated with the political party system in America. I concluded that there are three huge flaws in how we talk about political parties in this country.

1. Americans are constantly forcing each other to "pick a side" (Democrat or Republican).

2. Once individuals do "pick a side," they are expected to agree with every aspect of their party or else they are frowned upon for not acting like "true Democrats" or "true Republicans."

3. Because of these expectations for Americans to be as partisan as possible, senators, congressmen, presidential candidates, and other politicians tend to cater their platforms toward the most extreme Republicans or Democrats, creating gridlock between the two parties in Washington as well as the state level.

Because of the tension and gridlock between politicians in government and the inability for these politicians to compromise and work together, our country is making little to no progress in facing certain issues. And now, because of the gridlock growing between everyday individuals, political debate is no longer seen as a friendly conversation; it is now something people avoid talking about because they know it will turn into an angry fight instead of a conversation. As someone who loves political debate with a passion, it is very frustrating for me to have to be told by my parents at every gathering, "remember honey, it is bad manners to bring up politics at social events; it makes people uncomfortable!"

I know that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, after all, that is the beauty of democracy. But often when people stick to one side and shut out the opinions of others, they are missing out on learning new perspectives and they will never be able to compromise with their peers. If I never took the time to research and understand the opposing political view of my parents, I never would have gained the amount of knowledge that I have today.

I am not saying that everyone has to go against the view of their parents or engage themselves in political debates 24/7, but what I am saying is that it is so important for people to educate themselves on politics and learn the differences between the two main parties. Everyone's opinion matters. Also, no one should feel pressured to "pick a side"! It is OK to agree with one aspect of the Republican Party, while agreeing with a different aspect of the Democratic Party. I am proud to say that I do not identify with one specific party, because I am constantly learning more about both sides and forming new opinions every day.

And if you are reading this and thinking "I don't want to take the time to learn about politics; that's so much work," well then don't do it for your sake, do it for the sake of America, because we all know something in government needs to change.