Every election year feels like a big one. Your annoying, Midwestern uncle threatening to "up and move to Canada" if such and such wins the election, your coworkers constantly flooding your Facebook feed with endless pro and anti hashtags, and links to articles with the same journalism integrity as The New York Post. We go through the same routine every four years, but something feels different this time...
Maybe it's because I'm finally eligible to vote, maybe it's because our candidates are among the most vibrant array this country has ever seen, maybe it is because half of the country is on the edge of a revolution, with our first black President on his way out, while the other half is frozen with their arms crossed over their chest, heads still shaking in denial that a "black, Kenyan, Muslim" could ever be elected to office. For those people rolling their eyes at women's rights and muttering racial slurs in the shadows of un-enlightenment, this election is an important one, a chance to halt progress, a last ditch attempt to regain control and stabilize the rapidly changing country we now live in. People are scared; and when people get scared, they leave rationality behind.
Enter: Candidates Trump University and Cruz Control.
Timing is absolutely everything. Had Trump tried to run in '08 he would have been laughed out of the Republican party. Had Romney run this year, I expect he would have swooped in and secured the nomination months ago. But gun-wielding, women-hating, health-care-preventing American citizens are scared out of their minds, and the toxic, orange flame of Trump's hair burns like a beacon of hope for many across the country.
Enter: Candidates e-ma(H)il and #FeelTheBern(ie)
Former First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State, and ex-user of all things gmail, Hillary Clinton is clinging to her forever dream of returning to the White House, this time as the main event. They say second time's the charm, and she has the feminist millennials, as well as some disillusioned Republicans standing behind her in (sometimes reluctant) solidarity. Meanwhile, Bernie has sparked a revolution among the young voters of this country, a demographic which is usually responsible for one of the lowest turnouts. His shouts and hand gestures beckoning the American people to adopt a more progressive stance on healthcare and fight for true economic equality has inspired many a young adult to join the "call to arms" so to speak and to begin flooding your newsfeed with Bernie-focused Buzzfeed articles. You're welcome.
All around, on both sides of the political spectrum, there is palpable energy, aggression, fear, and hope. We are a country, divided until the general election, separated by our individual beliefs and political bumper stickers, but united by our passion for achieving a better tomorrow. There are those who are pro-choice, and anti-gay, pro-gun, anti-health care; we have left leaning, right leaning, moderate, radical, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Hindus, Unitarians, Zoroastrians, atheists...the list of differences goes on.
And yet, no individual is plotting for the demise of our nation. We are all reaching for what we think is the best solution to our country's problems. And so, I ask you, to please be respectful when discussing the future of America. Do not attack an opponent's character when you mean to attack their arguments. Do not resort to insults when you mean to articulate an opinion. Do your research, know your facts. You do not have to respect someone's opinion, but I suggest you respect their right to have one. Above all, be kind. I have seen political differences tear friends apart, but I have also seen (and experienced) these same differences bringing friends together, and intellectually stimulating each other in a mutually beneficial way.
There is no doubt this is an important election; please behave accordingly.
