America’s Bogeyman: The Democrat or The Republican?

Creating a bogeyman that embodies all beliefs opposite of one’s own is not just peculiar to the American collective conscious, it is prominent in the global collective conscious as well. The Republican and Democratic parties are certainly no exception to this universal phenomenon.

Both parties have taken every opportunity possible to demonize the other; they argue that this is done innocently and solely to attract voters for their own ideology for America. However, over time this has created two extremes in the electorate that made themselves visible with the rise of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Thus, the 2016 primaries showed a new face of America to the world: a divided and angry face, which is reaching its breaking point. Therefore, this article is relevant now more than ever before.  

“He’s an ignorant, racist, xenophobic demagogue!” This statement alone should accurately highlight the general democratic sentiments towards Trump, who is becoming the face of the Republican Party. However, Trump’s supporters  see him as a leader who doesn’t fall into the trap of “political correctness” and puts America and its security above all. They, on the other hand, see the democratic candidates as dishonest and having policies that not only sell out the country but also weaken it from within. While neither side is completely correct, it is crucial to realize that neither side is completely wrong, either. To say that everything Trump or Hillary or Bernie says is wrong is absurd.

The candidates aren’t as wrong for America as is the electorate’s response to them. With this election, Americans have adopted extreme views and created  this “you’re either with us or against us” atmosphere. This leads to devout supporters, who support blindly without even considering the other side, and devout critics, who criticize blindly. It also feeds this ritual of creating a bogeyman out of the other side. This encourages voters to completely block out the other side’s perspective and be on an extreme end of the spectrum, far from the middle.

Sorry to disappoint, but Trump isn’t as wrong as the democrats paint him out to be and Hillary and Bernie aren’t as wrong as the Republicans paint them out to be. With the 2016 election, it seems as though the only middle there is, is one made up of a majority that has bought the propagandas and illusions both parties have promoted about the other; hence, they refuse to vote for either side. The independents aren’t as independent as they’d like to believe this time around; they just happen to be the people that have taken the bait from both parties rather than just one.

While it is of the utmost importance to have opinions, it is equally – if not more- important to form them properly and be aware of the biases that shape them. Are you sure it is Trump’s policies that you dislike and not just the way, in which he opts to present them? Are you sure you dislike Hillary because you think she lied or is your disapproval of her based on some other bias, influence or preference? It would be naive to believe that most politicians tell the truth since most of them – if not all- do alter the truth.

America, step out of this bogeyman illusion the media and parties have created for you and think for yourselves. Put your prejudices aside and not only listen to but also analyze what each person is saying with an open mind. Educate yourselves and don’t feed this popular yet flawed notion that this election is equivalent to choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Becoming passionate about politics once every four years and confidently declaring plagiarized and under-researched ideas as your own does injustice to your civic duty. Your clouded yet  passionate perceptions of candidates hurt and further divide none other than you, the electorate of the United States of America. Wake up America, the world is watching!

Featured Image via Wikimedia