Olivia Crosby

When you hear “Democrat,” what comes to mind?

Progression, youth, change, honesty, generosity, minorities.

And “Republican?”

Traditional, old, white, wealthy, Christian, uptight.

There’s a definite double standard amongst many Staples students when it comes to political affiliation. Democrats are viewed as socially acceptable and considered to embody positive ideals.

Republicans are scorned, mocked, laughed at.

It’s not ill-intentioned, to be sure, and maybe not even conscious, but people attach a stigma to being a Republican. Young Republicans, a club at Staples, received upwards of 120 student email addresses at Club Rush. Over 75 percent of them were bounced back as errors. The club is currently made up of 20 students.

If you’re a Republican, and you post a Facebook status or a tweet commenting on how well Mitt Romney is doing during a debate, you’re a target. Expect backlash. The stereotypes become apparent. Republicans become people-hating, gay-bashing, racist, rich people.

If you’re a Democrat, however, you’ll rack up the ‘likes.’ Even vitriol, if it’s liberal, brings smiley faces.

People will disagree with each other, and people should disagree with each other. That’s fine. But sometimes, at Staples, dissent seems to bring out the worst in people. Students with Romney stickers plastered on their laptops shouldn’t have to be self-conscious about their political beliefs.

So why are they? It’s almost a knee-jerk reaction.

The only things most students “know” about Mitt Romney are from the @yaboymitt Twitter account. Maybe that’s why members of one AP Gov class obsessed earlier this week over his coiffed hair. How is this a basis for denouncing Romney’s views or those of anyone else in the GOP? It’s ignorant.

Some of the myopia comes from peers. Nobody wants to be the one Republican at the lunch table. Some of it is parent-induced, which makes sense. If your dad commands you never to mention the name Romney at the dinner table (actually happened, according to a library-dweller), you’re bound to have some bias. Some of it may even come from teachers. Rumors abound of certain classes in which it’s easier to snag an A if you display liberal beliefs.

You’re entitled to your own opinion. No one’s trying to convert you into anything you’re not.

But there’s a way to develop your own political beliefs, and then express them, while being respectful and open-minded of others and their beliefs. We can’t all agree, and we shouldn’t all agree.

Be passionate.

But be informed.