Party Lines: Learning to Approach Opposing Views Differently

May 1, 2019

Jack Laird

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Religion and Politics. My dear father always told me to veer away from these topics when around friends or family. The only issue with this ideology is, if you have a group of people with their mouths shut and their opinions unknown, nothing gets done. Nothing improves. I don’t think STEM has this problem. I think it has a much different one. The whole idea of not projecting your political opinions is to ensure that no conflicts arise. People usually hold onto their views very tightly, as they are reflections of who they are. They aren’t exactly eager to let those views go or keep an open mind. I think as a school, we fall victim to this close-mindedness at times. We see our political views as part of who we are, rather than ideas in a box we carry that can be swapped and exchanged for better ones. We are obviously a somewhat left-leaning school, and there are no inherent problems with that. However, when people with views that oppose the majority are looked down upon and dismissed as insane, stupid, or even bigoted, there is a problem. I’m not necessarily sympathizing with a right-wing-victimization narrative, (personally, I do lean more towards the left, if not the center), but I believe it’s unhealthy when people with views that are not widely accepted are yelled at and shut down for being “less than”. We oftentimes forget that no matter what we believe in or who we support, we are all people. Granted, we have all experienced different things and have been influenced by different people that have slowly molded the beliefs we hold today. Some could say those experiences have divided us, but I would dare to argue the contrary. If we do keep an open mind, those differing experiences would allow us, as a school, to find middle ground and improve the way we approach politics. And maybe, just maybe, bring us closer together. So the next time you’re ingesting someone’s views that may seem radical or outlandish, before simply dismissing the people as “thin-skinned liberals” or a “bigoted Trump supporters”, try to listen to what they have to say. Find the middle ground. But most of all, don’t forget that they are people. If we all assume an open mindset when it comes to traditionally divisive issues, politics can become a topic we embrace rather than something we avoid. That kind of environment, where everyone is taken seriously and accepted no matter what they believe in, truly excites me. That means there’s hope for a brighter future, where party lines don’t divide us, and the very notion of politics doesn’t make us shudder.