Election Threatens to Hurt Students’ Relations With Parents, Friends, Family
Editor’s Note: The following article was written by Jasmine Thomas, a student in Professor Koslosky’s Journalism Workshop class. You can find this article, along with other election coverage at HuskiesVote2016.wordpress.com.
BLOOMSBURG — Molly Hill, a student at Bloomsburg who is supporting Clinton, said her mother jokes about not letting her come home from school if she does not vote for Trump.
“I don’t want to vote, but I feel like I have to,” said Hill. “My mom asked me who I was going to vote for, and I told her it wasn’t any of her business and she said ‘No, it is my business.’ She’s like ‘You can’t come home if you vote for a certain party.’ ”
Hill knows her mother’s not serious, but she feels uneasy about how much her mother wants Trump to become president. She has stopped speaking about who she supports in front of her family now, she said.
Political differences surface at all times, but with the 2016 election there has been more than just an awkward dinner-table conversation. Due to the election, families and friends are experiencing more conflicts or heated discussions than normal.
Lost friendships
The candidates for the 2016 election have polarizing views on some controversial issues, which causes some heated debates among voters. Some are choosing to delete others from social media, such as Facebook. Someone sharing their view and posting it results in arguments online, in person, and usually end up going nowhere. These arguments are ending friendships, not only online, but in real life.
In a poll done by Monmouth University, 7% of voters questioned said they have lost or ended a friendship due to the 2016 election.
‘Makes me so mad’
Sam Yuschock, a student at Bloomsburg University has witnessed some of the incendiary views on social media that can lead to arguments.
“This kid that went to my high school posts on Facebook a lot about Trump, and how he hates Mexicans and is voting for Trump,” said Yuschook. “I literally asked him if he actually knew Trump’s platform besides the stuff seen on TV. I commented on the post and didn’t try to embarrass him, but I told him that voting someone based on media coverage is ridiculous. It makes me so mad.”
It is causing drama for couples as well.
One Bloomsburg University student who plans to vote for Clinton told us she is dating Trump supporter, and it’s been a challenge for their relationship.
“… My boyfriend makes fun of (Clinton) a lot and tries to sway me and I don’t like it,” she said. “We actually got into a pretty big verbal argument once and we both were so fired up that I ended up leaving.”
Generational squabbles
Sofia Solvik, a senior at Bloomsburg, says that she does not like how her father pushes her to vote for Trump. She feels that Trump is not a good candidate.
“Trump’s unfair, sexist, racist, xenophobic, and inexperienced in politics and underqualified,” said Solvik.
Here is an example of text message conversation between Solvik and her father.
Cait Doyle, a senior at Bloomsburg University, says she tries to zone out politics as much as she can.
“…When people talk about that stuff I don’t care sometimes, it’s overwhelming, but I can see both sides. I don’t say anything because I don’t like confrontation,” said Doyle.
Only time will tell if these relationships will be mended post-election.
