I love politics. I love my friendships. Why does it feel like I have to choose between the two?
Although I’ve been an outspoken conservative since the age of 15, I’ve never let politics play a factor in my relationships. In fact, I have a tendency to befriend liberal women- I really do love them! My liberal friends bring wonderful qualities to my life, even after finding out I’m conservative- they love to go thrift shopping, are always there for me when I need someone to pick me up, and are the first girls out on the dance floor with me. Politics rarely comes up, and if they do, it’s a nice conversation that ends in us making fun of the extreme sides of each party.
@brookearmitage simple
But lately, I’ve noticed a worrisome theme spreading online: “I can’t be friends with someone who doesn’t believe in basic human rights.” It’s infected social media, and now, I can feel it seeping into society.
@kristenj98 Human rights aren’t politics. #politics #notpolitics #humanrights #democrats #republicans
The Left is telling us that sure, it’s okay to have friends who disagree with you- but you shouldn’t associate yourself with bigots who don’t support basic human rights. But here is the trick: it’s the media that gets to decide what those “basic human rights” are.
Nowadays, every political issue is categorized as a human rights issue. Universal healthcare is a human right. Abortion is a human right. Gun control laws are a human right. To clarify: there is no longer debate about whether or not these issues should be considered human rights- it is a fact that they are.
@sarawelimaodembo human rights aren’t slices of pie, more for others doesn’t mean less for you #idontwannabefriends #idont #humanrights #blacktiktok #lgbt #lgbttiktok #whatdoyoumean
So if I, a pro-life woman, disagree with my liberal friend on the abortion issue, I am now a bigot who does not support basic human rights (and, even worse, my friends’ basic rights).
In her mind, she simply couldn’t be friends with me- that’s a direct violation of girl code! As a pro-life woman, I could just as easily make the argument that if a person doesn’t believe in the basic human right of life to all humans, I refuse to associate with them. But I don’t- because that is silly. I am passionate and fight for life every day, but I know that shunning my pro-choice friends will never fuel discussion or benefit either of us.
But what does this mean for society? After the assassination attempt on President Trump last summer, we witnessed a call for a toning down of political rhetoric. The thought was, how many times can Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) compare Trump to Hitler before a wannabe martyr decides to take action?
Afterwards, America saw about 13 seconds of “calm rhetoric” from the Left- but it didn’t last. Now, they are back at it again. But instead of attacking politicians, they are calling for relationships to be split up over political differences. A shocking study found that nearly all friendships in the U.S. are within party lines- only around 3% of those surveyed had friendships that crossed party lines. It makes sense- Democrats are being taught that it’s not about political differences anymore: now it’s a moral disparity.
@hannaimwunderland
I find this new rhetoric affecting women specifically.
We are emotional beings; there, I said it. Women’s conversations fuel the majority of political debate in the United States. Since the 2016 presidential elections, women have become increasingly active in political discourse and activism, even surpassing men in some areas. So, as women, we tend to take more notice when it comes to human rights issues. We are nurturers by nature; we value health, safety, and happiness in our communities. It’s a power that the Left has taken advantage of for political points. And now, women are being told that if you value health, safety, and happiness, you cannot relate to those sub-human bigots who voted for the big, bad orange man.
When every issue is characterized as a human right and every different opinion is characterized as bigoted, it’s impossible to even spark political discussion between different parties. When one demographic refuses to associate with another, blocking discussion of issues, we get nowhere. I stand firm in my belief that everyone wants what is best for America- we all just see different ways of getting there.
