This November will be one of the most divisive presidential elections in the history of the U.S. Both the Democratic and Republican parties have been polarized by the media and it only serves to show within high school students. It is of utter importance that youth do not become so contradictory to each other and remain informed and unified.
Students should, of course, have a right to voice their opinions but there should be ways to ensure that students can make educated decisions around political topics. As such, upperclassmen should ensure that they are able to understand the differing and opposing opinions of others.
Our politicians far too often do not speak courteously when responding to a peer’s opinion and this impolite way of thinking will find a way to spread to seniors. This needs to change before it is too late. Responses made by people like this result in polarizing opinions and the complete decline of civil democracy.
Although I personally have not seen anyone who has reacted harshly like this, I fear that it may become a trend among students, especially with the influence of social media. Students who are unable to speak in an appropriate manner will only lead to other students being unwilling to voice their opinions for fear of receiving retaliation.
During a discussion that myself and my classmates had in our IB English class, it stood out to me that although our teacher, Ms. Chalew encouraged us to voice our opinions, many were afraid to speak up. Some of those students, myself included, feel that if we were to actually speak our actual opinions, it would result in backlash from our peers.
This fear is very common among seniors and stems from not being able to hear the opinions of others. Being outcasted is one of the worst things that can happen to someone and having that exact fear linger when you are asked to express your opinion is why people are either cautious when they speak or refuse to speak at all.
A very common trend appeared as I was receiving information for this article. Despite there being students who I knew agreed with the policies of Donald Trump, many had declined to attach their name to any quote supporting him. These seniors were clearly afraid of being ridiculed or ousted by other students. This needs to change.
Students must, and I emphasize that greatly, share and voice their opinions before it is too late. Seniors especially, must break away from their own fear of being ousted by their peers and understand that they too, can be heard.
It is my hope that you take these preliminary polls into consideration when talking about this year’s presidential election. Communication is absolutely necessary for students to move forward as people
