Brought Together or Ripped Apart

This year has definitely been a big year for many issues to be brought to light and battled against or for. As many know, the elections were last week on who would reside in office for 4 more years, as well as whether or not to legalize Marijuana in Washington and Colorado and for Minnesota the voting for Voters ID and the marriage amendment.

Facebook news feeds have been blowing up with nothing but religious rants to angry spites towards a persons’ least favorite candidate. What you think is wrong may be just right to someone else. What you think is immoral and disgusting may be moral and beautiful to someone else.

I’m not a very political person, but have exercised my right to vote as many other students have that I saw at the polls, and have my own beliefs and personal system that will minimally change with time. But politics and differences can definitely bring out the worst in people, as most of you know from personal experiences.

There is a fine line between voicing one’s opinion and just being outright disrespectful and spiteful. Just because someone supports gay rights doesn’t make them an immoral person, let alone make them any less intelligent than someone who believes in a relationship between a man and a woman.

You don’t hear the gay community rattling the fences of the straight community bashing out how we live our lives do you? It’s barely heard of how wrong they think it is that straight people are the way they are. It’s disgusting how much hate there is out there for people who just want to be treated equally and with respect.

As far as the campaign was concerned - oh my goodness, people have bigger claws and teeth than I have ever seen in my life! It’s definitely understandable that everyone has their own beliefs and preferences; it’s what being an American is for the most part. To have an incredible amount of freedom, and how fortunate we are to live in such a country - that is something that some seem to forget about.

It’s not the best, but it is still a very very young nation that we are molding as the next generation. So much hate expressed towards someone with opposing beliefs and reasons doesn’t seem to be necessary. Friends have been lost, bridges burned, families question who shares their same blood. All for what? An election? You have GOT to be kidding me!
Legalizing marijuana has been a very large issue and will continue to be. In all honesty, big deal, it’s weed not meth or cocaine. Who cares? That’s all I have to say about that one. Given it’s against the law, it alters some parts of the thinking process and has slight effects on the reproductive system but surprisingly there are very few negative effects of partaking in such a habit. No one ever dies from it, unless it was laced with something because it wasn’t regulated.

We are all human beings with our own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs and take part in making our own decisions. Whether or not people respect that is 100% up to that person, but humanity’s classy attitudes and words have wavered and floundered to the lowest of the lows, over an election; over everyone’s different beliefs, religious affiliations, views of legalization and other endless topics that the entire nation will not agree upon as a whole. As said many times, can’t we all just get along and come together like true human beings and just accept one another and uphold the society that is in our hands?

Suzy is a junior majoring in journalism.