Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
To the editor:
Ever since President Trump’s inauguration, there has been a strong divide in the country. There are those who support the president, and those who are highly critical of his actions. In daily conversation involving politics, the republicans are intolerant of everything the democrats believe, and the democrats are closed minded to what the republicans have to say. Rather than trying to come to a happy medium, nowadays liberals and conservatives are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, and are too blind to see anything good in the other party’s views.
Recently, Hurricane Harvey struck the state of Texas, causing an exorbitant amount of damage and claiming the lives of innocent civilians. However, Americans from all over the country stood by Texas following the tragedy to help in any way possible. Many sent donations in the form of money, while others contributed clothing and food. Concurrently, thousands went down to Texas to help physically, by rebuilding houses and cleaning up damage. No matter what their political views were, citizens came together in light of the natural disaster. The divide that was so prominent in the country fizzled out for a small window of time. After months of hatred, violence, and fighting, America was unified.
Unfortunately, as the days went on the divide grew back, and the country lost that valuable sense of unity and support. That is what we as Americans need to get back to. Being a conservative or liberal does not have to be so black and white. It is possible to share the beliefs or both political parties. It is also possible to be an extreme conservative and still respect the views of liberals, and vise-versa. The kindness and acceptance that was present following Hurricane Harvey was so rare and cherished. It should not have to take another tragedy to bring those feelings back into society.
It is up to us as Americans to stand together. No matter who the president is or what your political views happen to be, it is important to be accepting of others. Political views do not define someone as a person. It is how one acts that is the true teller of their character. Although it took Hurricane Harvey to temporarily weaken the divide, we can still become a country unified through showing kindness and respect to one another.
Elizabeth Suseck
Hillsborough
