Politics have always been a thing that have kind of gone over my head, or that I have dodged purposely. From what I had seen, politics always tore people apart. My father and I would get in heated debates about once every six months and I tried to never talk about issues with my friends - I just didn't like the discomfort of disagreement, and honestly in my younger age I would say I wasn't the most even-tempered person to have a conversation with.
I write this to say, please don't write off people in your life who seem apathetic to politics. Please don't write off the hotheads you may encounter, please don't write off those who disagree with your beliefs (easier said than done, I know.)
I am so very thankful for the people in my life who pushed me to question what I thought: Ryan and Bobby when I didn't fully understand the larger picture of women's rights, my dad when we would debate the impact of socioeconomic status, my mom when I wasn't sure where I stood on capital punishment, Diana for showing her disdain when I publicly (on Facebook) said I wish people would stop talking politics.
Thank you to Kiera for being so open to conversation over the past year and allowing me to realize that talking about perspectives is not only okay, but crucial in further developing your own viewpoint.
Thank you to Mina for your endless posts and tweets of political coverage. I am honestly so glad people like you exist, working to make people aware of the issues.
Thank you Dr. Pasque and classmates who opened my eyes to a world of real life experiences I didn't know about, and never realized how much politics impacted. Our class was one of the biggest wake-up calls to realize you can't sit idly waiting for change, waiting for others to act.
The list could go on.
I am no political all star, by ANY means, but I'm trying to move in the right direction. I will try my best to reserve judgment, exercise patience, and practice open-mindedness when talking politics with others and it is my hope that you can do the same; a country is not made solely of a president, but of its people, and we will get absolutely nowhere by shutting people out.
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