I constantly engage with controversial topics and opinions. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be doing my job right.
College classes are not immune to the side effects of our divisive country, especially in this upcoming election year.
You can have your opinions, everyone does. But taking over a class that’s supposed to discuss strategies like campaigning and marketing just to express your hatred for one candidate is not helping anyone. It may be a release to you, but it’s interrupting valuable opportunities to learn about tactics used by candidates that we may use ourselves one day.
If you want to argue or state your opinion about politics, we have plenty of clubs and classes that you could register for instead of misusing a class that’s supposed to be about strategy.
It’s an abuse of that space if you’re using it to attack people who have different beliefs, who are just there to learn. There’s also no need to make side comments, snide remarks and scoffing when someone brings up something a candidate that you don’t like did well. Going as far as to call someone a name is unprofessional and if you can’t keep your emotions under control during a class discussion where a candidate’s name is merely mentioned, leave the classroom and start a podcast where you can talk all you want.
It’s hypocritical to get annoyed at someone else explaining why they feel a certain way, when they let you ramble about something totally unrelated to class. Yet, the moment they bring in a different viewpoint about something we are actually discussing, there’s audible moans of disagreement and annoyance.
Being in politics means having to play devil’s advocate sometimes, even if you truly believe your opponents are the devil themselves. You don’t have to like the person, but you have to be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of both sides.
In debates, both ends are looking at each other, and predicting what the other one will say. To do this, they have to acknowledge their opponent’s strengths.
When Vice President Kamala Harris’ team is telling her what former President Donald Trump is doing well, she most likely isn’t scoffing and laughing. Maybe Trump is doing that. But, when you’re shouting out how much you hate him in the middle of class, maybe reflect, because you’re acting just like him when you refuse to acknowledge his strong points.
As a political science major, you must be prepared to hear disagreements and debate. That said, if you can’t speak academically in a college class about politics, you need to take a step back and question if you’ll be able to work in this career.
