With the 2016 Presidential Race heating up, I am often met with negative remarks, generalizations, and stereotypes about the Republican Party. I can be dumbfounded by these comments, especially because I am extremely passionate about politics and my stances on the hot topic issues.
It is absolutely disrespectful, rude, and insensitive to label an individual as a racist, sexist, classist, elitist, or unintelligent based off of the well-researched personal beliefs that they have. While my own personal political opinions explained below may not necessarily perfectly reflect that of my Republican peers, I think it is worth mentioning that it is irresponsible to reduce Republicans to the stereotypes associated with our political beliefs.
Am Not Rich, Nor Do I Hate the Poor
I think one of the largest misconceptions is that all Republicans are old, entitled and well off white men who sit at their desk all day, and are obviously the antithesis of a secularist.
However, in my position, that is certainly not the case. I am an eighteen year-old Latina from a small, border town in Arizona. I am low-income and I rely on a full-ride scholarship program to fund my way though school. The only difference is that I believe there should be a higher priority in funding education than there should be on social programs, such as welfare and food stamps.
I believe we should be spending more money to hire the best instructors, to make college more affordable, and to help low-income minorities like myself be successful in school through incentive programs and better resources to help promote college, trade schools, and the military.
Am Not a Racist
Another offensive misconception is the fact that most individuals consider all Republicans to be racists. That stereotype in and of itself is offensive. I do indeed believe there is a serious issue with institutionalized racism in the United States, and I think it is one of the most pressing domestic issues that we have to overcome.
I believe that the way society was created (redlining, etc) as well as the educational system, the judicial system, and many other institutions in the U.S. give some individuals more leniency and privileges than others. To call all Republicans racists is to hurt and push away a large group of individuals who want to enact a change in this country.
Do Not Believe That My Religion Is Superior to Yours
The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights gave all people the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and with those rights came the freedom of religion. It would be ignorant to say that Catholicism should be the official religion of the United States when we all have the rights deemed by our creator to practice our own religions.
However, that does not mean that certain Catholic ideals (and ideals from other religions) are thereby not fit to become laws in our country. For example, while “Thou Shall Not Kill” is in the Bible, we have been able to integrate it into our court system because it was a good law to follow.
Do Not Hate Women
If you were to have a lengthy conversation with me, you would know that I am one of the biggest women’s rights activists out there. I love to talk about sexuality, the sexualization of pop culture, the pornography industry, sexual violence, healthy relationships, and just about every other topic in between.
Women should have control of their own bodies in that they should be able to decide which methods of birth control are best for them, whether they are ready to partake in sexual activity, and their feminine health. However, I draw the line at abortion, because I believe that abortion includes the taking of an innocent life. While the baby is growing in their mother’s stomach, it does not give the woman the right to terminate the pregnancy, and kill the baby.
Love My Country
I love the United States. I love the diversity, the concept of the American Dream, and I love capitalism and democracy. I love public debate and elections and forums, the Fourth of July, and even Flag Day. I love that we are blessed enough to have the freedom to enter into these conversations. I am a Republican, and you better know that I have an educated, well-researched reason for being one.
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