We live in a society where we have access to information regarding politics and social issues through social media apps such as TikTok, Reddit, and Twitter/X. As we approach the end of 2023 and enter into 2024, we are gearing up for America’s next presidential election. Whatever your race, gender, sexuality, religion or beliefs, we are all affected by things that are happening in the US in some way or another, whether we address them or not. While America is the greatest country in the world, and we are all blessed to live in a free country where we all have the potential to be who we want to be, we must address that we are also human beings, and none of us are perfect. That being said, in the past few years, it seems that Americans have indeed become too obsessed with identity politics and labels, and we, as a society, need to do something to address that issue.
One of the biggest issues that arose from America’s obsession, specifically with identity politics, is that it has caused families and friend groups with differing opinions to divide over something as trivial as a disagreement, ultimately causing an even bigger divide within the country. Where it used to be as simple as people disagreeing and then having a fruitful debate over an issue, it’s become a lot more hostile to the point where it feels like there is tension between conservatives and liberals. The division has caused people to become more extreme in their beliefs where they are in their echo chambers. It is to the point where liberals are scared to talk to conservatives because they don’t want to be seen as radical and dumb, whereas conservatives are afraid to talk to liberals because they don’t want to be seen as bigoted and rude. I have heard stories on social media of people, predominantly from Generation Z, talking about leaving their families and friend groups and cutting off contact with them just because they found out that their parents voted for Trump or they found out one of their friends made a joke that was insensitive to a group of people. Instead of running away from people who may disagree with us, it is important to hear people of the opposing side out and find a middle ground.
I think a big reason for this issue is that we have categorized people, putting entire groups of people into boxes based on their beliefs and attributes. For example, you may often hear generalizations such as “white people are racist,” or “black people are oppressed.” While it is important that America is a safe, functioning country that we can all safely live in, the hard truth is that we simply cannot accommodate every single problem in America. No matter what we do, we will never completely get rid of discrimination, and there will always be bad people. But if we are able to stop obsessing over these problems and realize just how privileged we are in this country to even be able to complain about a couple of words that people have said, whether it is regarding our skin color, gender, religion or sexuality, we will realize that all of us are bigger than any sort of verbal persecution we may receive. It is important that if we hear information, we always stay open-minded because you may find that while we all think differently, if you are liberal, you may agree with some things that conservatives say and vice versa. At the end of the day, politics are just politics, and as long as you are not harming anyone or forcing your ideologies down other people’s throats, we will be alright.
