By: Eduardo Sagastume
In the United States, politics is one of the hottest topics there is and the discussions about them are endless. People are always putting in their conservative or liberal opinions sparking controversy and disagreement between the country.
There are two sides, the left-wing and right-wing and there is a solid line splitting up the country in two because of politics.
California is an immensely liberal state and we are very diverse ethnically but on the other end of the spectrum there are conservatives.
Conservatives believe in a smaller government and a more business-like country. They want illegal abortions, no gun restrictions, and stricter immigration. Liberals, on the other hand, prefer a larger government, pro-choice abortion laws, they want stricter gun laws, and an easier way to acquire a visa or legal citizenship. These are just a few differences that the parties believe in but they are among the major issues the two parties have been disputing recently.
We as individuals have a right to believe whatever we please but as of recently we have had problems with both parties.
In an interview conducted on William Butchko, an Advanced Placement Government and Economics teacher at Yerba Buena High School, he stated that the reason for the political divide is, “I think, because of people's different identities and beliefs.”
He pointed out a great point in the interview because we differ in beliefs we automatically have disagreements on certain aspects of certain things in the world. The majority of conservatives and liberals are whites, stated by Butchko, but politically there are unjust things we can’t seem to pass.
Immigration is one if not the hottest topic in the media at the moment and politically we have not been able to make any headway towards bettering the issue. Conservatives have been very strict at trying to stop immigrants from coming into the U.S. and it doesn’t help that our president is trying to build a 1 billion dollar wall to do so.
Donald Trump has made remarks about the immigrants calling them “drug lords,” “rapists,” and other untrue names. Liberals are only trying to give these families coming in a better chance at life but the republican party is currently stronger and more effective.
This contributes to the political divide because we cannot seem to find a compromise with each other and both sides seem to hate each other. They are both closed-minded communities and affect the way this country runs as a whole.
Mass media plays an immense role in politics in the way they decide to portray certain events and influence its viewers. Mr.Butchko said, “Mass media just emphasizes the issues that are important if I were to judge it would be socially liberal and economically conservative.”
According to Skeptical Inquirer in an article published on July 1, 2019, named Who are more biased: Liberals or Conservatives, they say that Fox News is fond of conservatives and many Fox workers are now working at the white house and vice versa.
Fox news appeals to a more conservative standpoint and news stations and websites like the WallStreetJournal also follow suit.
Media is not the only thing that affects the political divide, geography and families are two of the biggest factors in it. Most conservatives live in mostly low-density rural areas while liberals live in high-density cities and suburbs according to Deborah Perez, another government teacher at Yerba Buena.
Conservatives are in low-density areas so they are usually around whites and are not very diverse and their families are all whites as well. While liberals are living in big populations, very diverse and are among other ethnicities other than whites.
Another way that family plays a role in political ideology and divide is the influence on offspring that they have. It’s just natural to lean toward the way your family thinks, acts, and is, but there are few that lean and think another way.
In the end, it is going to take serious cooperation among the two parties to stop this political divide in the states. I personally don’t see that happening due to the greed, hate, and close-minded beliefs that some individuals have but there is always room to hope. We are about to enter a new decade, major politicians have to realize that the negative choices that they make will not affect them, their kids, or even me to an extent.
But it will affect the future children of this nation and the world that they live in and the way that they will grow up and live their lives. It is unfair how we skew the ideals of our younger generations and how there are children who leave school for environmental protest and we cannot seem to compromise on the issue.
This political divide will be the downfall of the United States itself.
In the United States, politics is one of the hottest topics there is and the discussions about them are endless. People are always putting in their conservative or liberal opinions sparking controversy and disagreement between the country.
There are two sides, the left-wing and right-wing and there is a solid line splitting up the country in two because of politics.
California is an immensely liberal state and we are very diverse ethnically but on the other end of the spectrum there are conservatives.
Conservatives believe in a smaller government and a more business-like country. They want illegal abortions, no gun restrictions, and stricter immigration. Liberals, on the other hand, prefer a larger government, pro-choice abortion laws, they want stricter gun laws, and an easier way to acquire a visa or legal citizenship. These are just a few differences that the parties believe in but they are among the major issues the two parties have been disputing recently.
We as individuals have a right to believe whatever we please but as of recently we have had problems with both parties.
In an interview conducted on William Butchko, an Advanced Placement Government and Economics teacher at Yerba Buena High School, he stated that the reason for the political divide is, “I think, because of people's different identities and beliefs.”
He pointed out a great point in the interview because we differ in beliefs we automatically have disagreements on certain aspects of certain things in the world. The majority of conservatives and liberals are whites, stated by Butchko, but politically there are unjust things we can’t seem to pass.
Immigration is one if not the hottest topic in the media at the moment and politically we have not been able to make any headway towards bettering the issue. Conservatives have been very strict at trying to stop immigrants from coming into the U.S. and it doesn’t help that our president is trying to build a 1 billion dollar wall to do so.
Donald Trump has made remarks about the immigrants calling them “drug lords,” “rapists,” and other untrue names. Liberals are only trying to give these families coming in a better chance at life but the republican party is currently stronger and more effective.
This contributes to the political divide because we cannot seem to find a compromise with each other and both sides seem to hate each other. They are both closed-minded communities and affect the way this country runs as a whole.
Mass media plays an immense role in politics in the way they decide to portray certain events and influence its viewers. Mr.Butchko said, “Mass media just emphasizes the issues that are important if I were to judge it would be socially liberal and economically conservative.”
According to Skeptical Inquirer in an article published on July 1, 2019, named Who are more biased: Liberals or Conservatives, they say that Fox News is fond of conservatives and many Fox workers are now working at the white house and vice versa.
Fox news appeals to a more conservative standpoint and news stations and websites like the WallStreetJournal also follow suit.
Media is not the only thing that affects the political divide, geography and families are two of the biggest factors in it. Most conservatives live in mostly low-density rural areas while liberals live in high-density cities and suburbs according to Deborah Perez, another government teacher at Yerba Buena.
Conservatives are in low-density areas so they are usually around whites and are not very diverse and their families are all whites as well. While liberals are living in big populations, very diverse and are among other ethnicities other than whites.
Another way that family plays a role in political ideology and divide is the influence on offspring that they have. It’s just natural to lean toward the way your family thinks, acts, and is, but there are few that lean and think another way.
In the end, it is going to take serious cooperation among the two parties to stop this political divide in the states. I personally don’t see that happening due to the greed, hate, and close-minded beliefs that some individuals have but there is always room to hope. We are about to enter a new decade, major politicians have to realize that the negative choices that they make will not affect them, their kids, or even me to an extent.
But it will affect the future children of this nation and the world that they live in and the way that they will grow up and live their lives. It is unfair how we skew the ideals of our younger generations and how there are children who leave school for environmental protest and we cannot seem to compromise on the issue.
This political divide will be the downfall of the United States itself.