Where Did My Democracy Go?

I have always loved America. The idea that everyone’s  opinions can be represented through democracy makes me feel validated as a citizen. Lately, I feel like this right of mine is being pried from my hands. All across social media, respect for others and their opinions has become a foreign concept. People are being attacked and unfollowed for their political views. Peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters are labeled as violent. Recently, a student at my school told her friend that he was brave for telling people who he was voting for. Why should we have to be brave in order to express our opinions? When we call America the “home of the brave,” this is not what we mean.

How can we call ourselves a democracy if we have no respect for varying views? We all want what’s best for our country. Should differing views cause us to dissolve into chaos and fighting? Should we allow for our differences in opinion to divide us, instead of using them to achieve a balance of what we all want? We are so consumed with our own visions that we don’t care how we achieve them, even if it is through violence and hatred. 

Regardless of where I stand politically, I can say for a fact that I love my country. Watching my fellow Americans hate each other for their beliefs has been a painful experience. The lack of respect and basic human decency that I have seen this past year have perhaps been the worst part of 2020.

When showing this piece to somebody for review, they asked me if it was intentional that I didn’t include my personal political viewpoint.

I answered that I didn’t include my political opinion in order to make the point  that people shouldn’t be judged based on their views. I don’t want my piece to offend anyone by stating where I stand politically because I fear that  people who don’t share my political opinion will automatically invalidate it. I want it to be clear that regardless of where I stand, I still believe that we all deserve respect.Recent events have made this seem more and more challenging. 

The 2020 Presidential election fueled a great lack of respect for others across social media platforms. I was repeatedly told by campaign teams why I shouldn’t vote for the opposing side, instead of being encouraged to vote for them. All I heard was why the other side was bad, and not why any side was good. 

I saw this rancor in the reaction of many to participants in the Black Lives Matter protests. At the beach this summer, I saw a mother rushing her daughter into her towel. Her daughter cried that she wanted to finish  her sandcastle, and asked why they had to leave so soon. Her mother told her that  she was worried that “the crazy rioters might hurt them.”

I wrote this piece after the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.  It was shameful to see such aggression and violence in reaction to a fair, legal election. I found it extremely disrespectful for them to ignore the decision of the general public and try to force the candidate they wanted into office. 

These recent events have affected me because they contrast starkly with the values I grew up with.  My mother constantly encourages mutual respect, reminding us, “Nobody is the same on the outside, so nobody is the same on the inside, either. Everyone’s opinions are as different and unique as their fingerprints.” Minds are such complex places, and every single event that we go through alters our perception of things and our opinion on the world and how it should run. Every person has different life experiences, so we have to realize that everybody will come out of those  with different views. In my house, we are free to talk about how we feel and think without fear of being judged. Acceptance and respect feel so rare now outside of my home, which has always been a safe place for expression.  

Writing this was a real struggle. I want to make sure that I am not disrespecting anyone or their opinions with this piece, but at the same time I want it to truly reflect what I feel. 

We are all human. We all deserve to be heard. Where did my democracy go?

Photo by Jennifer Griffin on Unsplash