As many have become familiar with nowadays, politics almost completely dominates all aspects of life and can be both a uniting and dividing force. Political affiliation as either a Democrat or Republican comes with specific preconceived notions and stereotypes.
Such differences of ideas have existed since the creation of the United States, but their divisive nature has become increasingly more noticeable and dangerous. One of the most blatant examples of this difference is political violence.
The reason for this type of violence directly results from the misdirected passion behind political parties. Important issues that revolve around society, equality, the economy and law call people to fight hard for what they believe in. There is nothing wrong with this passion in theory, but there can be if it is taken to a heightened level.
The first assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, who was at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, is an example of the extreme level of violence that has been reached just this year. While Trump was speaking, a young gunman fired shots at him, wounding him in the ear, critically injuring two others and killing one audience member. The Secret Service shot and killed the shooter at the scene.
The way in which the Secret Service protected the former President was criticized and looked down upon. Acting Director of the Secret Service Ronald Rowe acknowledged failures by his team during the attempt.
Many assumed that the assassin was a Democrat, but he was actually a registered Republican. This took many by surprise but did not end the controversy. The Secret Service’s questionable level of protection was seen as a possible conspiracy.
More recently, another attempted assassination on Trump at his golf club in Florida was stopped by Secret Service agents. This happened just nine weeks after the first attempt. While Trump was golfing, Secret Service agents were stationed a few holes ahead and noticed a gun poking out from the shrubbery. The men fired into the bushes, causing the gunman to drop his weapon and flee in an SUV. Later, the man was apprehended by law enforcement. No casualties resulted this time and everyone was kept safe.
On the other side of the political spectrum, an office in Arizona used by Kamala Harris’ campaign was shot at about a week ago. Five bullets were found in the windows and the door. Luckily, no one was inside the building during this overnight shooting, but it is very concerning for those who work in the space.
In these instances, human life was threatened. The first shooting at the rally not only affected the Republican candidate, but it also caused great harm to multiple bystanders and an innocent life was taken.
This person who died did not deserve to be killed. They were honestly at the wrong place at the wrong time. Attending a political rally should be regarded in the same way as any ordinary activity. Would you expect to be shot and killed at the grocery store?
Some may disagree with my point of view. Those totally infused with politics in their entire being may regard someone’s presence at the rally as doing something wrong. Just being in attendance to listen to Trump may be seen as morally or socially wrong to a large group of people.
I do believe that no one deserves to die. It can be easy to assume an all encompassing idea of a person based solely on their political affiliation. A lot of the time, those from opposing parties put one another into an over-simplified box or category defined by looks, beliefs, character, morality and reasons for their political affiliation.
By this characterization, we limit the broad spectrum of the human being and strip away our individuality. We are, at our core, very complex and unique beings. Most often, we have many different beliefs that may not all fall into a stereotypical political side.
These views, such as gun control or abortion rights, can even sometimes conflict with one another. The reason for this may be that we can believe in part of a belief or theory associated with one party, but not the whole of it. For example, some may identify as Catholic but believe in abortion rights for women, which goes against the traditional Church belief. They are still believers in the Catholic religion, despite having an opposing viewpoint. Using this logic, it makes sense that other values can also be a part of a person’s life despite the supposed conflict with another idea on the surface level.
Realizing how different and layered we all are can lead to a deeper inspection and understanding of the reasons behind political affiliation. What you often think a person stands for based on the political party with which they identify, can be very different from what they actually represent. I encourage everyone to have a conversation with someone that has opposing political views from you. The conversation may surprise you, and you might learn something about the other person and their party.