I am in the back of the classroom with my palm covering my face, avoiding all eye contact, hoping and waiting for this conversation to end. Yet another one of my teachers is talking about the ridiculousness of the republican party and their inability to control their forerunner, Donald Trump. The majority of the class is joining in agreement, classmates chime in that there has to be one Republican at the New School, there has to be someone that ‘stupid’.
Being a Republican at The New School means avoiding all political talk with school friends, classmates, and teachers for fear of being judged. Being a Republican at a primarily liberal school means staying quiet instead of speaking up. It means knowing that nobody’s going to come to your rescue if you do speak up, and no one is going to agree with you.
I’m not a martyr for being a Republican at The New School. I choose what I believe and I chose to attend school here. I could, if I really felt the need, share my political opinion whenever I wanted, on whatever topic I wanted. It’s not that I can’t, it’s about what happens after I do – it’s silence; it’s awkward giggles. Maybe they don’t outwardly change the way they treat me, but I swear I see something in their eyes.
However, being 18 and fresh off voting in my first presidential election, I didn’t even think about the politics of the school before attending. It is possible that if I had to do it all over again, I would choose differently.
Being from Massachusetts, a primarily democratic state, it’s not that I haven’t encountered people who think differently than I do, it’s just that I have never been in a group where I am the only person who believes in the same things that I do. I have literally only met one other Republican in my three years here. I’m curious about why I haven’t met more people who feel the same way I do; because they don’t exist or because they to are unwilling to speak up.
I grew up with a household where politics are talked about at length. Fox news is on a constant loop, Bill O’Reilly yelling at me because my parents always have the TV up too loud. My dad had a ‘Sorry Yet?’ sticker on his car, the O in sorry being President Obama’s campaign logo, until last week when he noticed someone had peeled it off.
My parents are both heavily involved in the politics of my hometown. They were on the campaign team for the city’s current mayor, Tom Koch, who was elected in a non-partisan election, meaning that the candidate’s political parties are not disclosed. This type of election forces people to vote for a person, not with a party.
I think that this is an interesting way of thinking in regards to politics at The New School. I have no idea the political party of my city’s mayor, but I feel I know the party of 90% of my classmates and 90% of my professors.
It feels like there is a stigma against Republicans within the New School. We are grouped into one big group of jerks who all think the same way. I wish people realized that you can be a Republican and not love Donald Trump. You can be a Republican and still be pro-choice, and you can be a Republican and have respect for immigrants. We’re not all sexist or racists, or homophobes.
It sucks to be put in a box with someone like Donald Trump. I am constantly feeling conflicted about agreeing with some of the more sane things that he says but then hearing him say things that make a mockery of the Republican party. It’s an unfortunate feeling to be in a party where everything is going to shit but you’re not ready to jump ship.
There seems to be a lot of angry Americans and Trump is playing into that anger to get votes. I think it’s hard for some people to wrap their heads around the fact that if there weren’t actual people voting for Trump then he wouldn’t be winning.
On the other side, there are times when I watch him speak and I want to throw up, the way he talks about immigration, minorities, and planned parenthood is sickening. Sometimes it’s not even the things he says, but the language he uses that is so offensive. He talks down to people and imposes judgement upon everyone. He is a bully, he is arrogant, and sometimes he is downright mean. Despite all of these things he is a human, he is a father, and he is most likely going be the Republican candidate.
In my ideal world we would just say ‘re-do’ on this election and start over with all new candidates on both sides. But unfortunately that’s not how it works. I guess now it’s up to us to do the best with what we have.
I think the level of interest in the current election represents how strongly Americans feel about the future of their country. This election has made clear how many people are looking for a change in the way that they are represented in the government. Republican or Democrat, people want to start seeing things change and they want to feel like their voices are being heard.
So, I guess I will continue to be in that minority of Republicans to my classmates, to them I will just be that ‘stupid girl’. People are continuously going to tell you that what you believe in is wrong or invalid. Whether you agree with me or not, it’s up to you.
My dad has always said ‘Everyone has their own right to be wrong’.
Julia is the current Senior Photo Editor for the Free Press. She is in her senior year at Parsons, majoring in Photography and minoring in Art History. Julia is originally from Boston and is patiently awaiting her return there after college. She is a wiener dog and pizza enthusiast and finds herself most at home when she is near the ocean.
