Homework From My Son — Part II

The first event I can recall clearly in detail was the legalization of gay marriage in America. I remember my parents watching the news that day and my mom telling me how important of a case it was. Growing up with liberal parents and around liberal media, I didn’t understand why, in a world with cell phones, fully electric cars and much more pressing issues in the world, that interracial and gay marriage were still not allowed in one of the most advanced countries in the world.

My family is mostly liberal, apart from some extended family I don’t know very well. Austin is fairly liberal, but especially earlier in my life before the 2016 politics weren’t discussed much around me. I don’t know a single person in my family that isn’t politically active, I’ve talked about politics with everyone I know at least once.

I tend to discuss politics with some of my closest friends, because we agree on most things and can have civil conversations about serious topics. I have a couple friends I don’t align with completely, and I’ve actually had some of my most interesting and thought-provoking conversations with these friends. I consider myself pretty stubborn so not many people I know can actively influence my political ideology in a significant way.

I typically read Reuters, Washington Post, New York Times, Politico and Ground News. I don’t get any reliable information/news from social media, but if I see something mentioned that sounds possible, I will search it online and confirm or look further into it.

I’m liberal, I grew up liberal, raised by liberal parents. I had a period of time in my early teen years where I aligned more centrist or libertarian, but these last couple of years, being more online and politically conscious has solidified my stance as a liberal/democrat.

I have lived in Austin my entire life, mostly in and around the Rattan Creek area. I think Texas is a beautiful, diverse state and I’m proud to call myself a Texan. I consider myself lucky to be surrounded by people of all different backgrounds and affiliations. At my job I work and talk with people I would never normally have the opportunity to, and I genuinely do believe it has actively made me a better, more caring person. My friends come from all over, share many different beliefs and bring a unique perspective to my somewhat normal life. That’s why it makes me so upset that this amazing state I love, filled with people I love and people I haven’t yet got the chance to love, goes against essentially everything I stand for. In fact I am so misaligned with Texas as an entity that I have had serious thoughts about moving to a different state. I feel as if I’m fighting a losing battle, and as a hardcore optimist like myself that took me seeing a lot of hate, malice and prejudice. It is simply unfair, and there’s no better way I can phrase that.

I think every person living in the United States (legal or not) should be provided with basic necessities like food, water, education and shelter so long as they are actively proving they can be a contributing member of society. I don’t feel the need to elaborate, but I do wholeheartedly believe that it is the basic duty of the United States government to provide that much for its inhabitants. There is no path to a better future in this country without working together, America is not America without teamwork. It is the government’s responsibility to make sure that everyone is treated equally. The government should set an example for its citizens, not divide them. If someone has proved themselves as an active, contributing citizen then they should be treated like one.

Hate. Hate is the most damning, ruinous and destructive issue facing not just The United States, but the rest of the world. There is an effort to force people into conformity, to make sure people never see their kids again, to make sure those kids will never feel like themselves. Hatred is putting us on the path to oblivion. We can’t work together to make America better if politicians, the very people who swore to make this country great, are convinced that the most evil thing a man can do is love another man. I cannot fathom this ideology when countless Americans are murdered and raped every single day. People are afraid to live in a world that will hate them. People will go their entire life without ever getting the chance to truly be themselves. Hard working Americans are stolen and separated from their children because they weren’t born here. These are great people, the people America needs and the people America is. America is not America without these people. I find it hard to call this country America, nor myself an American at the current state it is in. A shameful, hollow mockery of something that was once beautiful.