An Interview With A Red Perspective in a Blue State of Mind

Please note that the interviewee has chosen to remain anonymous and The NewspapHER fully supports that decision. No name or gender will be referenced in the following interview.

Keselman: I have grown up in an upper middle class, highly democratic town. My parents and grandparents fight for human rights, and have always made their liberal beliefs clear to me. As I have grown up, I have adopted the same mentality. I am a proud democrat, (and at times extreme liberal) and I surround myself with people who share the same beliefs as me. It is not hard to find progressive friends. They seem to grow on trees in Needham, Massachusetts. And although Trump supporters and conservatives still live in my town, they are the minority. There are times when I forget that I even know people that support the current president. But I recently had become friendly with someone, someone I thought was just as anti-Trump as me. I was wrong. So then I had to ask myself, and them, some difficult questions. They were hesitant that I would end my friendship with them, citing past experiences. I assured them that I would continue to be friends with them. My friend had never been anything less than kind and genuine, so I saw no reason why politics should become a divide between us. I simply wanted to understand “why”? How can someone who identifies as a feminist and has progressive views on race, sexuality, and gender still support someone like Trump? I am incredibly grateful that this person agreed to do the interview below with me:

QUESTION:

What are your political views and what title do you give to them?

ANSWER:

On most issues, I am conservative, but there are many social issues that I take a quite liberal view on.

QUESTION:

Was identifying as such your own decision or were your political beliefs influenced by the views of your family?

ANSWER:

Most of my family is definitely more conservative, with some leaning more to the left, and some more to the right. However after researching each issue that I am interested in, I came to my own decisions.

QUESTION:

Do you support the current president of the United States?

ANSWER:

Yes, I do support him, specifically his economic policies of decreasing regulations and foreign policies.

QUESTION:

Do you think it is still possible to be a feminist and support Donald Trump?

ANSWER:

Yes, absolutely.

QUESTION:

What does being a feminist mean to you?

ANSWER:

Being a feminist is about making sure that women have equal opportunities in every aspect of life.

QUESTION:

Is feminism a separate entity from other political and human rights topics, or does being a feminist mean you have to support all equity/equality enterprises?

ANSWER:

Yes it is a separate entity. I believe that equal opportunities for all women is a basic human right, while other political topics are more complicated.

QUESTION:

In today’s political climate, can you still be progressive and a Republican, or have liberal/progressive become synonymous with Democrat with no bipartisanism?

ANSWER:

These labels are not useful. They force people into boxes, when some of my beliefs would be considered conservative and some progressive.

QUESTION:

Do you feel like you have to hide your political views from others?

ANSWER:

I definitely feel that I have to hide my political views especially in such a left leaning state like Massachusetts.

QUESTION:

If so, why do you feel this way?

ANSWER:

My previous experiences with telling people about my political views are mostly negative. People often disrespect the fact that I have a right to my own opinions and it has even torn apart friendships. People often think that they are very tolerant however they fail to listen to the opinions of their opposition, or even people with opinions that slightly differ from theirs. In my opinion people need to learn to calmly listen to each other, hear each other out, and even if you disagree with someone you can't go around calling them immoral or anything else just because you disagree with them because that can and does cause a certain isolation and forces people with different opinions to have to hide them for fear of being yelled at and ostracised.

I was a bit shocked when I heard this, and I felt bad. I have never had any qualms about speaking about my political views, and I would hate for anyone to feel like they could not. Even though I disagree with my friend’s beliefs, I was hurt that they felt they had to hide it from me. I hope that the opportunity arises to discuss this more, openly and kindly. But for now, I am grateful that I had this first conversation, and that The NewspapHER is a place where anyone can share their opinions.