By: James Southworth
Don't get me wrong: I am SO incredibly thankful to live in a country where we are allowed to vote and express so many freedoms. America is a great place to be, but it is flawed. I am not a nationalist. I do not think America is or ever will be a perfect country. It's one to be proud of sure, but its flaws should also be addressed. That's why I'm talking about the 2016 Election Cycle today. I won't lie: it has been a hard year for me to keep a politically level head. I am usually the type of person who can understand where others are coming from when they say they are voting for a candidate that I am not voting for. When I was in high school, I initially expressed disdain at Obama being elected. But after watching him as president, I could understand why people wanted him in office. That wasn't the case this year. I don't understand how people could support such a racist, sexist, and all around unqualified person as Trump. I also don't understand how people could support someone as Hillary when there is evidence of criminal activity and other shady things. I don't like either main candidate this year. But, I've seen people this year be more passionate for their candidate than ever. That's not always a bad thing; it can lead to disaster, though. Here are a few things I've gathered from this election cycle.
1) Debate your points rather than insulting another person.
The Facebook and Twitter political threads were atrocious this year. I've never seen so much name-calling, accusations, and treating of other people as sub-human. That never leads anywhere, especially on social media. It's nice that you can hide behind a computer and say whatever you want, but does that really mean you should? The worst kind of insults I saw were the passive aggressive ones, the ones were people thought they were being subtle by calling people's research invalid, or saying that the media has skewed their perspective- this came from both Trump and Hillary supporters, and it is just as bad with both sides.
Of course, something like this is never going to get resolved. People will continue to insult one another no matter what, and it's during this election race that we've seen the worst of it. But I could see so much more productivity coming out of speaking your opinion with an open mind to trying to see another person's point of view, rather than just shut them down. We are all human. The candidate we choose doesn't automatically make us a more moral person, because both candidates have some form of immorality in them. So don't play like you have all the answers. Because you don't. That's the truth.
2) Do your research.
As a citizen who is now able to vote, I know it's important that I find out where the contesting presidents stand on issues. I need to do research into the cold, hard facts that don't come from a biased media. The media is, in my opinion, in its least trustworthy state ever. There are some that do their job better than others, but no matter what, they have been trying to influence the election in some way. Fox News has been so clearly for Trump, it's actually sort of disgusting and saddening. The same can be said for people who use out of context soundbites from the democratically leaning "NowThis" and "Occupy Democrats". I hate to be a cynic, but if you are using media places like these, are you really making an educated vote? It would behoove everyone more if they used sites such as Politifacts. Because, I am SO tired of seeing Facebook posts with NowThis articles that paint Hillary in just one way, or Trump supporters using memes with baseless statements put on them. If you're going to vote, being informed is key, and that means going beyond getting your opinions from any sort of news site.
3) Focus on the issues rather than trash talking.
This can be said just as much about the candidates as it can about us. I remember watching the final debate and seeing Clinton and Trump in quite the insult match which ended in these two incredible zingers: "Trump is a puppet." "No, I'm not a puppet; you're a puppet." It was just wonderful to watch two grown adults using playground-level attacks to get under each other's skin. But for all the bad the candidates did with insulting each other, supporters of both candidates have been much worse. An elderly Trump supporter was obnoxiously yelled at and insulted at an Obama rally (fortunately, Obama had the good grace to stop the booing and encouraged everyone to just vote for who they thought was the better candidate; bravo to him for that); Hillary supporters have been sadly attacked at Trump rallies (and there are some claims that Hillary and her crew sent out people to purposefully incite these attacks). No matter what, the amount of stuff like this that has been going on is inexcusable. The issues are what is important; they are what will help us determine who should be president. Insulting only leads to people being angry in an already angry year. People's concerns are legitimate. Listen to them, and the anger has a greater likelihood of dissipating. Of course, if you can't get through to this person, it might be wise to just give up. Egging them on and pressing them will lead to worse things.
4) You don't have to choose "the lesser of two evils".
I had this mindset earlier in the year, thinking "Ok, when election comes around, I will just bite my tongue and vote for Hillary because Trump shouldn't be in office". The more that thought kept on going through my mind, and more I hated even considering it. Then I started reading some compelling articles on how it is possible for a third party to win if there are the right amount of votes. Therefore, if you are voting for someone like Gary Johnson, you are NOT wasting your vote. Despite what you may think, your vote does matter, and that's something even Clinton and Trump agree on. Once again, though, if you do vote third party, be sure to research their stances on issues. Because if you don't agree with them then you shouldn't have to vote for them either. Using a lesser of two evils approach is honestly harmful, because you're admitting your decision is still detrimental to your base morality. It'll put you at a better peace of mind if you choose a candidate who you feel lines up with what you believe.
5) Vote!
Please, people, vote. It's a right given to us, and it shouldn't be taken for granted. If you don't vote, then you will have no right to complain about the results. Voting not only gives you more validity in your opinions on the election, it also makes you an active participator in an important event. That's all there needs to be said about that.
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