With election season upon us, I’m reminded why I truly hate politics. That’s not to be confused with me saying I hate the government or specific politicians. I just hate politics and specifically the two-party system we have in the U.S.
Out of my own curiosity, I looked up the definition of politics, since so much is connoted with the word itself. Google — which I’m guessing means the Merriam-Webster Dictionary — defines politics as “the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.”
This definition highlights multiple reasons why politics and how they are carried out in the modern U.S., is so irritating to me.
Google’s definition implies that inherent to politics are conflicting opinions regarding the prominent issues at stake in our country, whether they are social, fiscal, foreign policy related or all of the above.
While there always seems to be a debate about the hot-topic issues happening over Facebook, on college campuses or on CNN, there never seems to be any progress made, a solution outlined or people in between two opinions convinced.
And in my humble opinion, that is because of the dominance of only two political parties in the U.S.
Our two-party system has made it basically impossible to have a productive and persuasive debate over the issues of today, as it places Americans at polar ends of the political spectrum, unwilling to budge in their opinions and only hearing what they agree with.
It seems as if people are so wrapped in their own opinion and sense of self righteousness, that they don’t take the time to listen to an opposing viewpoint.
If you are a Democratic voter and firmly believe women should have access to abortions in every state nationwide, you are not likely to engage effectively with a Republican who believes it is the government’s job to outlaw abortions completely.
Obviously, this isn’t always the case as I’m sure there are Republicans who believe in abortions as a right and Democrats who don’t. However, regardless of that fact, both of those voters align their beliefs with one party or the other and believe those views are supreme.
This not only makes for infuriatingly repetitive and stagnant debates, but also deters conversations about the issues at all, which shouldn’t be the case when we have a right to speak our mind in the U.S.
In a world where a lot of people would agree there are no absolutes, people act as if their political views are the only certain thing out there. And if you don’t agree with them, then your opinion is worthless.
From the political debates I’ve witnessed in my classes, between my friends and when my dad held public office, rarely are people attempting to convince others (such as moderate or unsure voters) of the legitimacy and reason behind their opinions. They’re more concerned with winning the argument at hand — as if an argument with no absolute answer could ever be won.
Rather than completely outlawing Ted Cruz’s drastic plan to get rid of the U.S. Department of Education, just because you’re a Democrat, it would help to hear out his supporters and the high points of his argument. For example, consider the power such an action would put back in the state governments’ hands to distribute student aid funding and the decrease in federal spending it could bring about.
And instead of simply refusing to accept Bernie Sanders’ belief that college tuition should be free, because you’re a Republican, it would behoove you to see the benefits of the plan, such as allowing students who couldn’t otherwise pay for higher education the opportunity to change their lives.
But I guess the lack of such discourse is all part of the downfall of U.S. politics. There are no definitive answers to the issues being debated about, voted on and stressed over; only opinions.
Giovanna Bernardo is a junior majoring in English.