Recently, the Presidential candidates for the 2016 Election were announced: Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump announced his VP selection, Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Clinton also announced her VP selection, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. Before these formal announcements, it was assumed that the election was going to be Trump Vs. Hillary regardless. With this, social media began becoming heated. From nasty memes, to ridiculous videos, to mean statuses and comments, social media exploded with political controversy. However, with the formal announcements, my Facebook feed is always filled with political items and some have been taken too far.
This is not an article for me to share who I am supporting in this election and why. This is an article sharing how frustrated i feel over the posts I view on Facebook. Yes, I will admit I have shared some political items on my page. And yes, I will admit that I have very strong feelings against the candidate I am not voting for, however, I do not tear apart someone's political opinion.
I have viewed countless posts calling people ignorant if they are voting for Trump or vice versa. I have seen posts of people stating they no longer want to associate themselves with someone who is voting for a specific candidate. Posts saying that women do not respect themselves if they vote for a certain candidate. And posts simply calling people stupid and every name in the book. It has come as far as seeing posts saying that parents are horrible and did not raise their child to believe in the right things. I am sick and tired of seeing posts like this and the election is still 4 months away.
I may be young and have not experienced many elections yet. However, I believe that in the ones that I have witnessed that this is the ugliest one yet. People hate Hillary and people hate Trump. There really is no in between. And people will do and say anything they can to keep the candidate that they don't like out of the White House, including bashing their friends who don't agree with them. My parents always raised me to respect others and their opinion no matter how much I may be against what they believe in. While I have strong feelings on who I want to be the next President of the United States, I do not waste my time calling others ignorant for not believing in the same views as me.
Everyone is entitled to their own political opinion. While you may not always agree with what they are saying, that does not make them a horrible person. Follow the Golden Rule. Keep your comments to yourself. Don't waste your time offending people because they do not want to vote for the same person as you. Don't stop associating with a friend because they are not voting for the same person as you. It is not worth it. With this being said, I know I will sadly continue to see rude political comments because I cannot control people. However, I hope that after reading this you will think before you speak and realize that this is the land of the free where everyone is entitled to their own opinions. So be the better person next time and keep scrolling through your news feed.
With this being such a heated election, I am anxious for the election to come in November. May the odds be ever in your favor Trump and Clinton.
