Syerra’s Square: Be openminded, stop insulting

The world is crazy right now. Since President Donald Trump took office, changes have been made in the United States. Some of us might not agree with the executive orders he is issuing, the appointments he’s making to important government positions, or even his personal tweets. On the other hand, there are many people who do agree.
If you’ve paid any attention to social media since Trump’s inauguration, and even during Barack Obama’s presidency, you’ve probably noticed that there is a huge divide within the government and even between your friends on the issues.
People have different beliefs and different opinions; there’s nothing wrong with that.
However, there is something wrong with the way I’ve seen others be treated in this time of political divide. In recent years, our friends, family, and colleagues have become more partisan than ever.
Personally, I’ve noticed that more people have been agreeing strictly with their parties, and meet opposition with vitriol and insults rather than good, honest discussion.
Just recently, one of my close friends “liked” a political article on Facebook. She doesn’t have the same political views as her parents. One of her parents saw on Facebook’s feed that she liked this article, and called her specifically to chew her out on the issue, just because of a difference in political views.
The parent accused the child of condemning and insulting the family instead of trying to understand why she would have a different view of the world. Her different views literally meant that she was shaming her family in his eyes.
It needs to be understood that not one person is going to agree with absolutely every one of your views. Everybody has different personal experiences, different lifestyles, and grew up in different places and situations.
We need to be respectful of these experiences instead of jumping to insults as soon as somebody challenges your own worldview, even if in your mind, the other’s view is outdated and wrong.
Instead of jumping straight to insults and labels, we should be supporting bipartisanship in our own lives by encouraging civil discussion with those of different views. Take the time to listen to those close to you, and ask why they believe as they do.
This doesn’t mean tolerating a worldview that could potentially harm others. Politely ask them hard-hitting questions, and cite facts from unbiased sources that they could use to maybe open their mind. To get anywhere, we need to be as civil as possible.
You’re not going to change a more liberal person’s mind on the issues if your first instinct is to call them a “libtard.” You’re not going to change a more conservative person’s mind if your first instinct is to call them a “Nazi.”