Politics affects us every day. Whether it is at school, work, or watching tv, politics has an impact everywhere. Political polarization has become so rooted in our society. From different tv networks that portray certain political beliefs to movies and tv shows that have liberal or conservative motives. Politics follow us everywhere. We have become so accustomed to it that we do not even notice the effect it has on our decisions and day-to-day interactions.

On-campus, we tend to overlook and not notice the political interactions we have. It tends to be discrete or “normal” that we just do not realize we are taking part in a politically motivated interaction. Furthermore, we have seen political polarization emphasized at Penn State throughout the year. I wanted to go through some of the notable moments that occurred throughout the past semester.

1. Milo Yiannopoulos and his “pray the gay away” presentation. Yup! You heard that right. I remember when I saw this sign in the hub and I automatically knew that this was going to strike up controversy. This was a program sponsored by uncensored America. This particular event sparked much controversy because it brought up the issue of free speech versus hate speech. Students felt inclined to become involved which brought up political opinions. More liberal students protested when he came and other organizations came together to create the Love is Louder event which was held at the same time as Milo’s presentation.
2. Another time political division was present on campus was when the state government passed the law that state workers needed to become vaccinated. This led to a huge protest on Old Main. During this time period, many students who were conservative came together and protested with a few of the workers. This also led to students voicing their different opinions on vaccination status and masking requirements.
3. Another time that politics became a prominent topic was when there was and still is a shortage of CATA bus employees. Employees began to quit their jobs because CATA began to require that their employees get their vaccinations. Students were impacted by this shortage. Today, we are still suffering the consequences of that by not having buses run on Sundays.

Obviously, political polarization and division will happen wherever you go. Since politics is so rooted in our country’s core. Political division is an important component of our rights and free speech. Most of the time political polarization is portrayed to only bring problems. However, sometimes it can bring change and new knowledge to our society.

Image sources: The Daily Collegian and The Washingtonian