Why I Chose a Political Party

I have always maintained the powerful idea that human beings are not naturally evil and that they must mean well. Growing up with a liberal mother, a conservative extended family, mostly conservative friends and teachers and mentors in Georgia, I have learned to respect the following fact—No matter what someone’s political beliefs are, they are doing what they think is best...even if they are wrong.

Growing up, I took in the opinions of my conservative friends and conservative family and put them against my naturally liberal opinions that I mostly concoct alone. For some reason, I always agree with the Democrats before I know what they believe in. I took the conservative values projected onto me and melded them with what I felt was right—which was the left.

That’s why I’ve been an independent. I listen to the viewpoints of Republicans, even though I have to force myself to see it their way, and meld it with my solutions. In the meantime, I have tried to understand why Republicans think so differently. Why am I such a crazy liberal?

For a long time, I have felt guilty about my natural liberal tendencies, and I have crossed them out with certain Republican beliefs to make me an independent to show that I am not a crazy liberal, and to show that I am free from any party telling me what to think.

This Christmas Break, with a relentless energy, I have used the time left over from parties to spend studying constantly the political policies of both parties since World War II. And the more I know about every issue, the more I fall in support for the Democrats.

In the meantime, I have done much inquiry to the single question: why do Republicans think the way they do? I have talked politics extensively with friends and even more with friends’ parents, and I have come to a conclusion.


I have discovered two kinds of people. The first kind of people, when presented a problem, will feel guilty, and they will solve the problem to relieve their guilt.

The second group of people, when presented a problem, will create an excuse so they don’t have to feel guilt. They put up protective bubbles to protect them from harsh realities such as the following:

Racism still exists. Whites receive an occasional lick of racism; but blacks receive a daily tongue bath.

Poverty still and always will exist, and not because poor people are lazy or because they chose to be poor.

Global warming is a real problem with mounds of evidence and the world could suffer immensely if nothing is done to stop it.

Homosexuality is a real trait possessed by real human beings, not a choice.

War is not about glory and honor. It’s about families being torn apart by destruction and death.



These people don’t want to accept the guilt that others have it worse in life. They want to see nothing but sunshine. America is the best in every way and it always will be!

I am not one of these people. I am a liberal. And it amazes me that people use this term so harshly, as if liberal equals hippy or socialist. I discovered, however, that “liberal” is another way of saying open-minded. After all, between a conservative and a liberal, who is more likely to be racist? Who is more likely to accept global warming, and evolution, and science in general? Who is more likely to be a gay-hater? Liberals are open minded people, and yet America is picking on them…for being open-minded. But conservatives, who put up protective bubbles and stand together in a foam of denial—I ask you, honestly, is this not bigotry?

To all my discomfort, that is what I have discovered about the Republican Party and conservatives in general. Not all of them, but most of them, are bigots who are too lazy or too emotionally weak to accept the harsh realities that face us. They turn on Fox News and conservative radio, which do three times better than their liberal counterparts, and these conservatives listen indefinitely to Fox and the radio for arguments so they can get excuses that justify them to do nothing, therefor relieving them of their guilt. This way, they won’t feel guilt for the poor, the gays, the African Americans, the soldiers…

As stated before, I have discovered two kinds of people. One kind of people, when presented a problem will feel guilty, and they will try to solve the problem.

The second group of people, when presented a problem, will create an excuse so they don’t have to feel guilt at all.

I don’t know about you, but I know which group I’m in.