Thoughts of the non-voters

Grace Bassick
Vernon Patch Blog

The American Dividing Line

The beginning of 2016 election showed candidates from about every walk of life imaginable. This being said, our country’s elected voters still managed to choose the two most controversial people to represent America, in what has become the strangest presidential election in American history. Naturally, candidates created divisions between political beliefs and views but it was the division of the American people that became the most concerning.

As primaries came and went, it became more and more apparent that this was not a division of Democrat and Republican‍ but a division of Trump supporters and everyone else. I suddenly began watching neighbors who used to chat at their mailboxes everyday ignore each other like they had never met before. Lifelong friends at school who were laughing with each other at lunch suddenly began screaming across the room at each other. Politics were suddenly the lasting impression when meeting someone, which consequently created a division between people so wide that it will be very difficult to fix moving forward.

In a country founded on the principles of unity, letting one political election change our views of others not only makes us look bad as a country but is un-American altogether. We are showing the world how judgmental and arrogant we are which in turn causes the stereotypes we try so hard to break. Our country is seen as a leader in the world, so shouldn't our citizens embody traits of leaders as well? People may laugh at our presidential candidates, but we shouldn't be giving them a reason to laugh at us as well.

Only we can erase the lines we have created, so tomorrow, say “Hi” to the neighbor you began ignoring, and make amends with that friend. We are more than our political beliefs; our character and American spirit are what is most important.