Niyati Naveen | Contributing Illustrator

American politics are at a point of contention never before seen in this nation, so divided across party lines that one would logically speculate that Republican and Democratic party leaders couldn’t bring themselves to agree on anything, even something as simple as the sky being blue. Put simply, we are at a boiling point.

With our Congress practically in gridlock, presidential candidates calling one another “threats to democracy,” and polling data showing that large numbers of each voter constituency are unwilling to accept the results of the election if they lose, many are tired of the tension felt in America today. 

Perhaps this is why many Americans celebrated the civility displayed at the vice presidential debate held in October. Voters were astounded by the respect that both Senator J.D. Vance and Governor Tim Walz showed one another on the debate stage; the two even agreed surprisingly often. 

The conversation after this debate wasn’t so much chatter about the “gotcha moments” of each candidate or the supposed shellacking an alleged victor put upon the loser; it was one of nostalgia for the days of old where candidates, like Barack Obama and John McCain, could disagree and still have kind things to say about one another. Many Americans want to return to that time. 

However, the conversation surrounding the vice presidential debate also turned sour. People on the left side of the political aisle called Vance a liar, with a CNN fact-checking article mentioning Vance’s name nearly four times more frequently than Walz’s. The right responded with name-calling, throwing out nicknames such as “Tampon Tim.” Just like that, folks: We’re off to the races, again. 

Everyone claims they want politics to be more civil, but what does that mean? Do we as Americans really want to see a nation where everyone from all points on the political spectrum can come together and join hands, or do we just want our political enemies not to attack us? It seems to me that it’s the latter. At the same time Vance and Walz were being celebrated for the respect they showed to one another, the conversation was quickly devolving into name-calling and cheap attacks. 

Why does this happen? Some have posited the site X as the source of this growing toxicity, charting the growing willingness to engage in uncivil posting on the platform. However, the social media website is merely a scapegoat. Around the country, both sides of the political spectrum are filled with hate and disdain for fellow countrymen and their ideas. 

A great example of this comes from our own campus. An article published in Student Life (yes, this Student Life) in 2019 titled “It’s OK that conservatives don’t feel welcome” was met with some backlash, prompting the then Editor-in-Chief to write a response defending the article. 

“We believe it to be our editorial duty to publish as wide a variety of ideas as are submitted to us whenever possible,” Sam Seekings said in Student Life’s response. 

This idea seems noble enough. Yes, diverse voices should be heard on campus. However, if you read the original article, it endorses the exact opposite idea, stating, “Some belief systems are either unnecessary or detrimental to serious discourse … Conservative ideas do not deserve equal consideration to that afforded liberal and left ideas, because conservative ideas are not equal to liberal and left ideas.”

This was written about one of the two prominent political parties in the United States — a political party that roughly half of all Americans support. If you are unwilling to give this party respect and consideration, that speaks a lot to the value put on that “wide variety of ideas.”

Neither side of the political aisle wants civility, they want you to shut up and let them have their way. They don’t respect you. The sooner we all learn that lesson, the sooner we can be realistic about American politics. Americans don’t want civil debates. Americans want to make fun of Tampon Tim; they want conservatives to feel unwelcome on college campuses. 

With the picture I’ve just painted, things look pretty bleak, but there is some good news. The way to fix this problem is strong leadership — leadership that chooses not to put members of the opposite political party down. On Monday, Oct. 14, President Joe Biden warned Iran that an assassination attempt against Trump would be an act of war. Yeah, I’ll admit it’s a low bar for civility in politics, but this is a far cry from his calling the former President a threat to democracy. Perhaps this is the first ray of sunlight cracking through a series of dark storm clouds.

Like Congress, we’re in a gridlock. We’re at a boiling point, and it seems we may just boil over. We can’t put a lid on the pot, and the only way to turn down the temperature is if both sides agree to do it in unison.

I have hope, but my guard is up.