My parents laughed at me when I told them I wanted to go to a liberal school.
“You? With a bunch of left-huggers? That’s going to end greatly.” I just shrugged it off. No campus was perfect and it’s not like politics has to run every part of my identity. Telling my newly-found friends that I’m Republican should not be a big deal… right?
Wrong. I grew up in Western Pennsylvania, in a Roman Catholic Family. My mother was our church Stewardship Minister and my father was a huge part of the coal mining industry. My friends in high school referred to me as the “typical elephant.” They saw nothing wrong with it, because they were cookie cutter versions of me. Luckily, I did have a few liberal friends, and they had enlightened me about their reasoning of being anti-conservative. One of my greatest friends in high school spoke to me about his family struggles. His mom was raped, forced to have children she had no desire to have, and later had to deal with his own abuse from his dad when he came out as gay. Instead of picking a fight about abortion, women’s rights, and LGBTQ+ issues, I understood where he came from. He had a reason to believe what he did, and truly understanding someone else’s background is quite beautiful.
In a time where politics is all that matters, it may be easy to shun your abstract friends and cling to your comfort zone. But hey, I was a freshman; I just wanted some friends. Luckily, I had made friends with people who didn’t mind I was a “Jesus-Freak” or that I may have voted for Donald Trump (which may have been my first mistake). They truly only cared about our game nights, karaoke dance parties, the next time we could all order Burgatory together and enjoy one another.
So a word to my fellow Republicans, scared of a liberal campus: The world will not end if your friends do not politically agree with you. The beauty of democracy is we all have a chance for our opinion to be made and spoken among others. Be proud of your beliefs. Be proud of the background you have because that has turned you into who you are today.