If you know me at all, you will know I’m incredibly political. I love going to protests, educating others about social and economic causes I care about and, above all else, writing articles on political subjects for the Eagle Eye. Politics are something I’m passionate about, and I always love to hear other people give their own political insight as well. What I don’t like about politics is the amount of division it creates between American citizens.

Every time we distribute a print issue of the Eagle Eye, the most common negative comment I hear is something along the lines of, “It’s a little too liberal for me,” or, “can you guys put out just ONE issue that isn’t all about politics?” In all honesty, it bothers me that the first thing people tend to say about the paper has nothing to do with the time or work that was put into the making of the issue. Instead, students notice that opinions other than their own are being represented more often than they would like.

I get it: not everyone likes politics and they would rather avoid the topic altogether, and I think that’s a fair perspective to have. I respect that. What I cannot put my mind around is the fact that so many people shiver at the very thought of someone disagreeing with their political perspective, and that’s the attitude of so many politically active Americans today.

When I and other members of the Eagle Eye put out stories about our political opinions, it is because we are passionate about the topic and we wanted to share that passion with the rest of the student body. Additionally, each one of us makes a constant effort to address counter arguments to our own argument. We do this to bring strength to what we believe as writers and to validate another viewpoint. Whether people view the paper as liberal or conservative, overall it’s a matter of perspective because facts do not lean liberal or conservative: only our perspectives do. I think we should all work towards becoming more politically accepting.

Instead of reading a story that clearly takes a partisan stance on an issue and instantly regarding it as “fake news,” it is about time that we, as a collective society of American citizens, put aside what we think we know about an issue and appreciate the author’s stance. I promise, you will find so much more enjoyment in reading about politics if you can actively try to learn something from every story you read. Perspective is so important, but it is even more important to respect those whose views are different than your own. Politics and respect go hand-in-hand, and the divide between parties would become so much narrower if respect because an essential piece of American politics.