Lizak 1

Matthew Lizak

Professor Sheila Feilding

WRTC 103

17 September 2018

Democratic Dilemma

Being conservative in a notorious swing state causes tensions to flare and friendships to

burn. Throughout my life many of my biggest role models have openly expressed conservative

political views. To them it was simply a way of life, just like going to church on a Sunday or

celebrating a birthday. However, this same level of normality could not be further from the truth

for the experiences in my life. From anonymous threats on my locker, agitated altercations in the

hallway, and finally the shattering of my cars back window, my political views have always been

opposed. What is a conservative or a republican and why do they have so much hate expressed

toward them. The Oxford Dictionary of politics and International relations states that, “Broadly,

the federalists were urban and trade oriented, while the democratic-republicans were rural and

oriented towards the interest of small farmers”. In more modern terms this means that the

“Republican party favors business and opposes welfare” (Oxford). Being labeled as “white

supremist” and “racist” for publicly expressing my conservative views has had a profound effect

on the way I respect other people’s political views.

From a very young age I was told that taxes should be low, and the governments

influence on everyday life should be minimal. I firmly believed in these views and managed to

get by most of high school by keeping them to myself. But, it was simply not possible in US

Government class. My government teacher, Mr. H, would pose difficult questions to the class

and I would usually answer them with the knowledge I had received in my childhood
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indoctrination of republican views. Needless to say, I was certainly not the most popular kid in

the class. This was my childhood, and this is my party. I had to stand up for it.

The Republican party was formed in 1854 amid the Kansas-Nebraska act and from constant

agitation from the Free-Soil Party (Oxford). Early Republicans strongly agreed that all human

life had intrinsic value and the enslavement of others was morally detestable. They also believed

in low taxes and a high protective tariff to bolster the fledgling American economy. Even 164

years after the creation of the Republican party the four major cornerstones of small government,

low taxes, limited social services, and open business markets has stayed nearly identical. Under

the blanket of “Republican” there is a multitude of different interpretations of the ideology but

they all stem from three main interpretations: Rockefeller, Stalwart, and Radical republicans.

Firstly, Rockefeller Republicans tend to be moderate on fiscal issues and liberal on issues

considering social services (Oxford). For example, a Rockefeller Republican in the Senate would

undoubtedly pass a bill to increase the number of families receiving welfare in the community.

Secondly, there are Stalwart Republicans that “Supported black male suffrage in the South and

opposed the Civil-Service reform program” (Martin 517). The Stalwart republicans of today are

few and far between and are considered “traditionalists” because they directly oppose any social

services. Lastly, Radical Republicans as stated by the Dictionary of American History, “Are a

wing of the Republican party organized around the uncompromising opposition to slavery before

and during the Civil War” (Derfner 15). I consider myself an amalgamation of all the terms

above. For example, I agree that taxes should be low, and government should be small and less

intrusive; but I also believe that social services should be available to those who cannot find

work. But, why would these seemingly logical views create so much emotion among others, is

there a more sinister side to the Republican party.

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From my point of view the more sinister side to the Republican party that most people

refer to is simply created out of a lack a research. Statements like “all republicans are racist or

white supremist” or “republicans want to take away my right to contraception” were posed to me

while in Government class but those claims are unfounded in the party. The idea that all

republicans are racist started in the 2008 presidential election when the democratic party used

this rhetoric to gain the black majority vote (Goldman). This strategy not only proved effective

for the democratic party, but its impact carried into nearly all other elections proceeding it.

Regardless, reproductive rights for women has always been a hot topic in the republican party.

By holding a more closed-minded approach to reproductive rights than democrats many women

thought that the Republican party completely rejected contraception. The Republican party

simply believes that the government should not be responsible for purchasing your

contraception, not that it should not available. For example, the second amendment grants US

citizens the right to bear arms; however, the government will never hand out or make you

purchase a firearm. As evidenced above, the republican party has its fair share of controversy.

My belief in these views throughout high school has also subject me to intense scrutiny and

controversy with my class mates.

The mark of my actions or more specifically my words in US Government class followed

me for the rest of my high school career. Friends were sparse and hard to keep close. Weekends

were spent alone or with family instead of with friends. Worst of all rumors started to circulate

that I was a racist and soon after a never-ending stream of anonymous hate letters started

showing up in my locker. My once close-knit group of friends betrayed me, and I was left utterly

alone against what felt like the whole student body. The halls that I once called home now were

distant and completely foreign. I had lost everything, or so I thought.

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February 16, 2017 was one of the worst but most impactful days of my life. The harsh

winter still had a firm grasp on Virginia Beach. Both my brother’s and my Dad’s birthdays were

in 8 days, so I decided to go to MacArthur mall in Norfolk to purchase gifts for them. Pulling

into the parking garage I was greeted with the familiar smell of drying paint and burning oil that

encapsulates all of Norfolk. The walk from my car to the entrance of the mall was a short but

very cold. In about an hour and a half I completed my shopping and decided it would be smart to

head back to the car in order to get home before dinner. After another bitterly cold walk back to

the car I saw a large amount of broken glass surrounding the back of my car. Intrigued, I walked

around the back of my car only to find my back window missing and presumably spread all

across the parking garage floor. Upon further inspection the Trump banner that was placed in my

tailgate was missing. Filled with rage I screamed “why me!” at the top of my lungs and its echo

greeted me soon after. The drive home from the mall was tear filled and hasty. Now not only did

my school hate me, society did also.

This picture depicts how I felt

broken and outcasted by the
blatant act of vandalism done
to my car.
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The culprits of this crime were never found and for many months I felt like justice went

unserved. This caused me to have a distinct hate for the democratic party and their agenda. I

thought that only a liberal could hate a presidential candidate so much as to vandalize someone’s

property. In hindsight it could have been anyone. Someone could have had a bad day and seeing

my banner could have set them over the edge. My vilification of the democratic party lasted until

I fully realized that they are people just like anyone else. Opposing views are what made and will

keep this country great. After this realization I vowed to never hate anyone for their political

views as it is only makes tensions higher and eliminates the chance to meet new people. Turning

this unfortunate event into a challenge to learn and grow into the person I am today has

drastically changed my perception on opposing opinions and political parties for the rest of my

life.

Works cited

Derfner, Jeremy. "Radical Republicans." Dictionary of American History, edited by Stanley I.

Kutler, 3rd ed., vol. 7, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003, p. 15. Gale Virtual Reference

Library,http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3401803493/GVRL?u=viva_jmu&sid=G

VRL&xid=63e3794b. Accessed 5 Sept. 2018.

Goldman, Seth. “Election coverage tampered Racism.” The New York Times. 20 Nov.2013

https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/11/20/racism-in-the-age-of-

obama/election-coverage-tempered-racism

Martin, Asa E. "Stalwarts." Dictionary of American History, edited by Stanley I. Kutler, 3rd ed.,

vol. 7, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003, p. 517. Gale Virtual Reference Library,
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http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3401804005/GVRL?u=viva_jmu&sid=GVRL&xi

d=42688042. Accessed 7 Sept. 2018.

“Republican party.” The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics and International Relations,

4thed., Oxford University Press, 2018

“Republican party.” A Dictionary of World History, 3rd ed., Oxford University Press, 2018