Why Is It Important for People With Different Political Beliefs to Talk to Each Other? - Violet

 

Why Is It Important for People With Different Political Beliefs to Talk to Each Other?

The United States is a very split nation. According to a Gallup poll, in 2021, 46% of adults surveyed at random identified as Democrat or Democrat-leaning and 43% identified as Republican or Republican-leaning. Political parties have all sorts of opinions on a variety of topics. Abortion, gun control, animal rights, and vaccines a few of the hotly debated issues in the U.S. currently that people on either side of the argument have a lot to say about. Broadening your world view is more important than ever nowadays as people tend to surround themselves with others who have similar ideas. With tuned feeds on many social media platforms tending only to show users information they will agree with, it’s easy to not have a broad spectrum of ideas. Here are some reasons why it's crucial to have the ability to develop your own opinions.

First of all, we live in a censored society in regards to what political information and news  we might see via social media. With “for you” pages and similar concepts everywhere, a lot of the media people consume is tailored to them. This even applies to news stations as many people get their news from sources that lean the same way as them. These tailored features can be a good thing for personal enjoyment, but it can really damage and narrow someone’s worldview. Having conversations with people who might not agree with you can open up a person’s eyes to different ideas. Many people’s political views are influenced directly from childhood. According to a study by Elias Dinas, many children align with their parents’ political views when young, but change their minds as adults once they are exposed to new ideas, especially those that go away for college. I view the common agreements between parents or other clear correlation between other environmental factors as an issue because it’s evidence that people's thoughts and opinions weren’t quite developed objectively. Because of this common situation, I think it’s important that people are open to conversations with people of different ideas because it may open their eyes to the other side’s point of view. 

Most people, of course, think the world would be a better place if more people had similar ideologies to them. What I said previously goes both ways: not only is it good to allow others to influence your opinion, it’s good to allow yourself to influence others. Being willing to have a calm, respectful discussion about political issues can lead to more understanding between two groups. While it is nice to discuss your opinions with people that agree with you, it’s not going to get you far. If you want to convince people your beliefs are correct, stop preaching to the choir. Most of the time, you will have to accept that not everyone is like you, and agree to disagree, but if you tried to politely explain your stance with someone different, odds are you would both come out of the conversation with a lot more knowledge and understanding. It’s important to be able to listen to and discuss political ideas with others so that you can have understanding between groups.

Lastly, political difficulties can divide people, and civil conversations may help bring them together rather than tear them apart. It’s important to respect peop;e’s opinions and show that you value what they have to say whether you agree or not. Being hostile to everyone you disagree with will only cause more issues and less communication. I believe that as humans, most of us share the common longing for a better world. Demonizing other groups will not help people achieve a common goal. I think these issues could be solved by more communication and openness in political conversations. 

In conclusion, talking to people who have different beliefs than you is necessary to developing balanced opinions and broadening your world view. Hostility, judgment, and aggression. won’t get anyone closer to the world they would like to see, but communication, understanding, and respect will.

Works Cited

Jones, Jeffrey M. "U.S. Political Party Preferences Shifted Greatly During 2021." Gallup, 17 Jan. 2022, news.gallup.com/poll/388781/political-party-preferences-shifted-greatly-during-2021.aspx. Accessed 8 Dec. 2022.

LSE. 17 May 2013, blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2013/05/17/children-with-politically-engaged-parents-are-more-likely-to-deviate-from-their-parents-political-views-in-adulthood/#Author.