By: Emily Long
When I say I’m a Conservative, people pass a lot of judgements. Do I hate people? Did I vote for Trump? Am I a Bible thumper who thinks everyone is going to hell? Did I never expand my mind when I left for college?
Well, actually, I’m just Emily. I’m a typical senior trying to make it through Ethics, find a job and manage to have some resemblance of a social life. I’m a Communication and Public Relations major. I also have a vested an interest in Politics.
Going to school in Massachusetts has definitely been an eye-opening experience. Most of my classmates and professors do not share the same political views as I do. It took me a while to actually have the courage to come out and state my controversial political views in class.
With this column, I want to accomplish a couple of things. The first is to put a younger face on the conservative ideology. The media has a tendency to only show conservatives as being old white men in MAGA hats. This has resulted in the public creating a stereotype.
Next, I want to dispel some myths and preconceived notions people have about conservatives. So to answer the questions above:
Do I hate people different from myself?
No. I could never hate anyone.
Did I vote for Trump?
Jokes on you- I was too young to even vote in the 2016 election. However, would I have voted for Trump if I could? Probably not.
Am I a Bible thumper that thinks everyone is going to hell?
I’m religious- but I try not to shove that in people’s faces. In the United States, we have this little thing called the First Amendment and you are free to practice whatever belief system you want. Do I think that you’re going to Hell? Come on people, that’s drastic.
Did I never expand my mind when I left for college?
That brings me to my next point.
During my time in college, I’ve made sure to attend lectures and events where people who I don’t agree with are speaking. I go to listen and absorb what they are saying. I then later think about where I disagree. I don’t go to these events to protest or to cause a stir. Rather, I listen and actually hear the other side of the story. Lasell has done a good job with hosting speakers from both sides of the issue.
It’s important to hear from both sides of an issue because when you actually understand another’s perspective, you go beyond the partisan bickering that we see in the media.
In my upcoming columns, I hope, as readers, you learn a bit more about what it’s actually like to be a conservative in college and what that means to me. Trust me, there’s more to being a conservative than MAGA hats and #buildthewall.
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