I am a Republican. But I, along with the vast majority of Republicans, do not support sending bombs to opposing politicians. Or shooting 11 people in a synagogue. Or the preaching of hate. Every time a right-wing psychopath commits a terrible act, the entire Republican party and its leadership are implicated. Even President Trump, arguably one of the more extreme Republicans in office, does not promote the killing of his political opponents. The actions of a few do not always accurately represent the views of the larger body of people.

It seems that Republican has become synonymous with racism and discrimination, especially on social media. Almost everyone that I know who is a republican is often reluctant to identify themselves as such for fear of backlash. What many fail to realize is that both parties are in place for the betterment of America, they just go about it in different ways.

On many social media platforms and in the mainstream media, conservative viewpoints are shown disproportionately less when compared to liberal viewpoints. In addition, stations that do voice conservative viewpoints are often mocked. Granted, some opinions voiced on those stations can be extreme, and should be treated as such, but the extreme viewpoints voiced by the left rarely get any widespread criticism.

It seems that much of my generation pays less attention to the platforms of each candidate and instead follow what’s acceptable by the masses. We have become so divided on politics that one side is seen as completely right and the other as completely wrong without actually knowing the overarching beliefs of the other side. This type of thinking is dangerous in that it breeds extremism on both ends of the spectrum. It is also dangerous in that it creates a political climate of never ending conflict that both sides have no idea how to resolve.

A movement towards more moderate policy on both sides would be beneficial to the political climate, reduce extremism, and allow people to realize that the opposing party contains viewpoints that they may agree with from time to time.

I encourage those who do not have a deep understanding of each party’s views and the reasoning behind them to inform themselves. It is only through an informed society that we can truly solve our common issues in a way that will benefit us all.