Victor Lau
By Victor Lau
SYLP student
Do you see the cup as half-empty or half-full? Whatever your answer may be, people see the world through different perspectives. However, there are always new experiences that can broaden our views.
America today is too polarized by white-black racial tensions or blue-red party schisms. Rarely does anyone look from the other party’s perspective. Even if one person’s view is considered “correct,” it is still ignorance if that person does not attempt to understand his opposition’s perspective.
We might not agree with the “other” argument, but we should try to see the other person’s approach to the situation and become a more open-minded individual.
The main criticism during the Bush administration was that Bush’s cabinet lacked a diversity of ideas, and because there was no opposition, the “other” side had no voice.
This lack of diversity led to many unwise decisions, and Bush’s term arguably became one of the worst presidential terms in the United States. However, America has still not learned its lesson. The media still labels states as either blue (Democrat) or red (Republican), and because of this, a sense of division stains most people’s minds.
America is one of the largest democratic political systems in the world, and yet, there are only two parties.
Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, you must believe in a holistic set of ideals. Our political system allows no room for compromise, and people must either declare themselves Democrat or Republican in order to vote.
Each party even has their own set of adjectives. Democrats are described as “liberal, progressive, and pro-government,” while Republicans are “conservative, patriotic, and pro-individualists.”
Sadly, I see no clear resolution in the future to this continued division of ideals. I only suggest that we begin to look at issues from our opposition’s perspective and hopefully put an end to our ignorance. ♦
Victor Lau can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
(The stories in this issue are written by SYLP students, not Northwest Asian Weekly staff. Opinions herein do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of the newspaper.)