As the country reacts and processes the results of the presidential election, one thing that has become abundantly clear is the level of hatred and division that politics causes within the American people. The reaction to the last two presidential elections alone is proof. When Donald Trump lost in 2020, his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to violently change the results of the election. Now in 2024, Donald Trump’s victory has caused anger, fear and hatred from those who did not support him. Regardless of one’s political opinions, it is clear that the United States is far beyond simply having a difference of opinions, but rather people who disagree have started to deeply hate one another.
However, a fact that I feel is often lost in the political discourse is that all voters fundamentally want the same thing: to shape a country in which they, their children and family and people as a whole can prosper. Of course there are exceptions, and there are people in this world who vote out of hatred, but for the most part I fundamentally believe that people are voting from a place of wanting what is best for the country. Take Donald Trump, for example: in 2024, voters believe he “cares about needs of people like you.” The other half of the country likely believes the opposite. Regardless of that fact, this goes to show that people aren’t voting out of hate, but rather based on what they believe is best. Ultimately, people are voting with good intentions.
In theory, that mutual feeling of wanting what is best should be enough to hold Americans together. We may disagree on how to achieve our vision of a great country, but our end goal and our intentions are all very similar. Unfortunately, that is something that is lost in political discourse, where both sides demonize the other in order to swing votes. In fact, just in the past few years, people’s views of the opposite party have become increasingly negative. According to Gallup in 2022, 72% of Republicans said Democrats are more immoral. This is an extremely high number, especially compared to 47% in 2016. On the opposite side, that same year 52% of Democrats said that Republicans are more unintelligent, compared to only 33% in 2016. The parties are no longer disagreeing on how to improve the country, they are beginning to actively look down upon and lose respect for one another.
Many political debates, though not all, are simply policy disagreements. For example (taking a generalized approach), Democrats want the government to provide more services to its people, whereas Republicans want the government to interfere less in people’s lives. Both want what is best for people; they simply have different ways of getting there. And while there are some issues that are more personal and not simply policy disagreements, it does not change the fact that most people have good intentions and are not actively trying to be malicious towards one another.
It is important to remember that in politics, everyone is fighting for what they believe is right. And while we have different visions of what that is and how it can be achieved, that is not a reason for those of the opposite political party to begin to deeply hate one another. This is a frightening phenomenon that can affect personal relationships, friendships and overall make people less content with those we live and work with.
“And while there are some issues that are more personal and not simply policy disagreements, it does not change the fact that most people have good intentions and are not actively trying to be malicious towards one another.”
Youssef, I appreciate your optimism. I simply don’t believe that most people have good intentions. It’s very hard to see how Republican policies that are designed to make life worse for LGBTQ people, for example, come from anywhere but a simple desire to be malicious towards a group of people they deem disgusting or degenerate. Republican candidates have used this kind of maliciousness to their advantage for years in a way democrats simply have not. I just can’t see how this emotional desire to punch down on “deviants” comes from the same kind of good intentions that like, universal healthcare and such come from. We are just not on the same page in this country anymore.