https://youtu.be/Pbn6a0AFfnM   <—- This link is the song the title is based on. It has a very interesting story, should anyone care to read into it. I highly recommend doing so!

What is the state of rhetoric in American society today?

Well, that’s quite an interesting question. How do I answer such a complex question?

When I began thinking about what I wanted to write this post on, my immediate answer was gun control. Yes, I care about LGBTQIA+ rights, and the pay gap, but I think the most pressing issue of those would be children dying in schools; simply living.

However, I reread the prompt for this post. Suddenly, a different answer came to me. I find myself saying “the two party system is, or rather should be, dead,” Quite often. What does that mean exactly?

Well, I identify as a Democrat, personally. I was raised in a mostly Democratic family, but the funny thing is, I didn’t know until the 2016 election rolled around that my family were democrats. I guess we just never really discussed politics in my family until there was someone my relatives REALLY didn’t like (sorry, Trump supporters). I was scared of saying what I thought due to fear of being ridiculed for being young, or getting in an argument with Republican family members. And I’m lucky to have a family that (mostly) agrees with me (yes, Grammy, I know pro-life is the way of our religion, but someone else’s life isn’t my business!).

Anyways… Where am I going with this?

Well, the thing is, that fear I held of speaking while developing my political views in a social media sphere is a problem. Why can’t children have different views from their parents? Why can’t they learn to be better; more educated; more independent-minded? Why can’t people voice their diverse opinions without the fear of immediate attack from opposition? The answer is that everyone should be able to.

 …… THE TWO PARTY DOMINANT SYSTEM NEEDS TO DIE FOR THIS TO BE THE WORLD WE LIVE IN, INSTEAD OF A FANTASY.

Woah, that was really aggressive. Why was I that aggressive? Because, in our current two party dominated political system, people simply hear “republican” and think “hicks; gun-toting crazies; gay-hating slobs,” and when some hear “democrat” they think “fragile snowflakes; baby killers; crazy communists, libtards” instead of seeing real, genuine people. The system we have enables an atmosphere of animosity, a lack of communication, and overall missing the point.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. And dialogues with different opinions are important and necessary, but how can these dialogues happen when the two sides are simply looking at each other angrily, labelling each other before even hearing the opinions they might find they agree with?

For example, I mentioned that I identify as a Democrat, and that’s true. However, a lot of my opinions fall in the middle of the political spectrum. Do I find that I align more with Democratic views? yes. Do I still share opinions that some Democrats, more liberal than myself, would ridicule me for? probably. That’s the point though, I vote in the favour of their candidates (traditionally) and align more with their views, but some liberals simply see a view that’s not theirs.

This post is much longer than what it was supposed to be, and that’s because I could go on about this for hours. The point of this is that dialogue is important, and as long as there is a side to oppose, proper and fair dialogue won’t take place. That is why I believe we need to work towards a system that isn’t dominated by two parties that hate each other instead of hearing each other.