Growing up in a predominantly liberal household, I adopted my parents political views from a young age. In 2016, I proudly voted for Hillary Clinton in the middle school mock election, excited to come home to my family members and share my political standings. Although Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were favorites of my close family members, I started to realize how Democrat and Republican politicians alike would hide their atrocities. As I became more politically active and knowledgeable in the years after the 2016 Presidential Election, I moved further left than my family members. This was in part due to the compassion and empathy I was taught along with the rise of political discourse on the Internet.

In almost every political movement in the history of the United States, conservative policies have been overturned. Important changes in U.S. systems such as the abolition of slavery, the Civil Rights Act, the establishment of national parks, the creation of child labor laws, the creation of Social Security and many more were implemented by embracing social liberalism. I am not a liberal or Democrat. To me, liberalism has boiled down intersectionality in social justice to coffee mugs that say “Girl Boss” and feminism into an Instagram aesthetic. Democrats and Republicans are two sides of the same coin; they both work to preserve capitalism and the wishes of corporations. 

Although the liberal ideology of Democrats is far from the end goal, I believe electing Democratic socialists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will make advances toward the left easier. The Green New Deal, Medicare for all, racial justice, abolishing the two-party system, abolishing the electoral system, LGBTQ+ rights, indigenous rights, and abortion access are goals that will be easier to obtain with Democrats in power. The views of the citizens of the United States are moving further left, and if pushed far enough, the views of Democrats will as well. We have the power to shape this country into what we want; I believe we can become a better country for all of our citizens by electing, but also criticizing, Democratic politicians. 

Politics are confusing and humbling at times, but understanding how things work is important. I implore you to challenge beliefs and values imposed on you by family members, friends and society.

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change, I am changing the things I cannot accept.” – Angela Davis