“Too much of what is happening in our country is not normal.”
President Joe Biden made this statement on Sept. 1, 2022, while addressing the nation about dangers to democracy that former president Donald Trump’s followers — or “MAGA Republicans,” in line with Trump’s slogan to “Make America Great Again” — pose.
He continued: “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundation of our republic.”
Whether you agree with this statement or not, it’s undoubtedly a public attack toward a certain demographic. Throughout the speech, Biden talks of unity while simultaneously slandering the opposition, doing the exact opposite of the speech’s supposed intention.
Animosity between opposing parties is inevitable — their beliefs don’t align. Though, the events that have occured within the previous two presidencies, such as threats against bureaucrats, plotting to kidnap the governor of Michigan and the attack on the U.S. Capitol — all mentioned by the Journal of Democracy as part of increased political violence — should raise alarm to American society. The leaders of the country are currently influencing hateful behavior, and it isn’t just causing verbal dispute between the parties: It’s riots, vandalism, death threats and actual deaths.
It was clear when Trump campaigned in 2016 that the divide between the two parties expanded. Throughout his presidency, this issue only progressed, with each party making hateful remarks about the other. While Trump had the authority to minimize this hate as a figure of influence, he only exacerbated it by making outrageous remarks about the Democratic party and its members. An example of this, according to The Washington Post, was in 2019 when he claimed that four Democrat lawmakers, all of whom were people of color, should leave the country. He said they should “go back” to “the crime infested places from which they came,” according to The Post.
The article continues: He then backed up this claim by stating he doesn’t care if what he said was offensive because people agreed with him. Comments like this continued throughout Trump’s presidency as he took advantage of his social media platforms to spread negativity. This perpetuated the hate within his following and the Democratic party. Once elections came about again in 2020, the tension only heightened between the parties and within society, as demonstrated by the Capitol attack Jan. 6, 2021.
For our generation, this polarization is terrifying and needs to be acknowledged. Politics are relevant in students’ lives and it’s important for students to be able to debate with each other about their stances without feeling hatred toward the other party or fearing that sharing their beliefs will cause backlash.
Jack Levy, a junior at JMU, said he’s often afraid to share his right-wing views as he’s received criticism from both students and teachers at the university.
“I don’t feel comfortable speaking up as I have experienced a few teachers making comments towards my opinion and students coming at me saying stuff over social media,” Levy said. “Once I shared my opinion with a teacher and they stated that they respected my opinion but that it is wrong.”
This polarization is everywhere, and U.S. leaders are setting an awful precedent for young and impressionable minds that it’s OK to judge someone based on their political stance.
Junior Rachel Gordon said she’s a Democrat now, but she grew up with conservative and religious perspectives. She said the ability to see different points of view is beneficial.
“I think it’s important to understand both sides, and I think it’s a problem that people are so stuck in their ways,” Gordon said. “It’s frustrating having a conversation when the other person knows that they won’t change their viewpoint or even listen to the opposing side.”
The ability to communicate civilly is something our society has lost. According to CNN, on Sept. 18, a man was charged with felony vehicular homicide after saying he hit someone with his car because of a political dispute. He claimed he felt threatened because the person was “part of a Republican extremist group,” according to the article from CNN. What could’ve been a sophisticated conversation instead ended in a tragic death.
In the grand scheme of things, the leaders of the U.S. have the most responsibility in maintaining democracy. They should refrain from perpetuating negative dialogues and encourage the country to come together. Sadly, most are neglecting this power, so responsibility falls to the citizens to try and establish civility. Gordon shared various ways students and young adults can refute this negativity.
“I think it’s important for people to view both sides, be aware how the algorithm is catering to each side, see politicians for who they are, watch out for fake news and most importantly, listen to both sides,” Gordon said.
Contact Oriana Lukas at lukasok@dukes.jmu.edu. For more editorials regarding the JMU and Harrisonburg communities, follow the opinion desk on Instagram and Twitter @Breeze_Opinion.
