The 2024 election has plenty of difficult topics that were touched on. For example, abortion, US-Mexico border and the immigrants, the economy, etc. With all the issues provided the political parties have created divide in the United States with each parties’ views. Sometimes it is important for people to have political discussions but the divide has made it difficult to do that.

The American Government teacher, Mitchell De Haan, touched on this.

“Our political reality right now is so divided and the nation’s politicans are really feeding off of that, and its causing more and more disc0nnect between sides,” said De Haan.

Discussions about politics can be difficult but why should we have them? Ann Hewitt, a teacher at Spectrum, has some deep insight on the topic.

“An open political discussion is very important because we live in a country where we have to live with our neighbors and understanding other people’s perspectives is so important because we all see the world differently, and that’s usually based on our experiences,” said Hewitt.

How to conduct a respectful political discussion is as much important as why we should have them.

Hewitt said, “I think to go into a really good discussion both people have to kind of agree on, for lack of a better term, ground rules when you get started and I think the biggest conflicts happen when those ground rules aren’t established, or people don’t honor them as you go along.”

Some people may not be as respectful as you wish and that can be difficult to handle when that happens. Wyatt Tilly, a spectrum student, has something to say.

“Always when you have a political debate, it’s never about you as a person,” said Tilly, “it’s never about them as a person so, when they start straying towards insults, things like that, that means you’ve won the conversation, and you can wither shut it down, drive it back on course, inform them that they are straying away from the topic, or you just, kind of continue on and see if they kind of stop with that.”

Political discussions are difficult but if they are managed well they can be done correctly and can go a long way in the future. Being respectful is the most important piece to get out of this.