With election season coming at us in full force, everyone is riled up and taking a stance.
If you’ve got the primaries on your brain (along with unfulfilled Tinder conversations), you may be asking the question, “Are my political views affecting my love life?”
Well, it depends. Your political views do say a lot about who you are.
There are some well-defined values in the way you choose your party that mark pieces of your personality.
It’s not all necessarily what you see in a presidential candidate, but rather, what your deep-rooted morals are. You choose a party based on what matters to you and what you support.
It’s not simply a matter of not agreeing on what your favorite food is or what sports teams you root for. No, this is how you feel about the way the world functions, and what takes priority with regard to life-changing policies.
Match.com recently released a survey, stating, “Good political conversation on a first date boosted chances of a second date taking place.”
This makes complete sense, considering it means you probably have the same views on a vast number of important topics. It’s only natural to hit it off with someone you find yourself agreeing with.
Now, if you’re in an invested relationship and you and your partner have opposing views, don’t let my words scare you. My mother is a Democrat and my father is a Republican. They’ve been happily married for 25 years.
The key factor in this instance though, is neither one of them is particularly politically charged. They’re wonderful people with an array of interests and education, but politics is just not a piece of that.
Neither of them care enough about it to argue over it with anyone, let alone each other. In turn, it’s never affected them.
On the other hand, there are the die-hard, opinionated and politically charged people. These are the ones you see posting and tweeting about the latest debate or the ridiculous comment made by someone with regard to global warming or abortion.
I’m not hating on these people. In fact, I think in our generation, it’s vital to spread the word through social media.
But can you imagine those who can’t even get along online dating someone with differing beliefs?
The idea alone is dripping with the thought of “toilet seat being left up” fights turning into all out gay rights debates.
Personally, I simply cannot imagine myself dating someone whose ideals lie with the opposing party. Actually, I find myself attracted to people whose views I agree with.
There are people who I follow who write about their opinions and writers whose works I read about, and I find my thoughts wandering from “Hell yes, what a great comparison,” to “Does he have a girlfriend?”
At the same time, I follow plenty of people who voice their opinions, and I can’t help but judge them in a negative way. I see them post ignorant videos or articles about something I am completely against.
Sure enough, I’m thinking, “Wow, that’s too bad. I thought they were cool,” as I hit the unfollow button.
Sure, if you are educated enough and well-versed in politics, of course you can have respectful conversations regarding differing points of view.
You don’t need to go around cutting people out of your life because they’re not going to be voting the same way you are in the primaries.
In fact, it’s important to stay open-minded and aware of opinions that may not align exactly with yours. Otherwise, you’ll remain stagnant, stubborn and behind the times.
But when it comes to relationships, it’s an entirely different ball game. If you can’t get along with someone with regard to issues like immigration, education, the economy and war, it’s difficult to believe you can form strong bonds over less meaningful topics.
Especially at a time when you can’t scroll through an app or get through a commercial break without politics coming up, the likelihood of keeping conversations light and not getting into full-fledged debates with each other seems slim.
According to Pew Research Center, 51 percent of Millennials are Democrats and 35 percent are Republicans.
Based off of that statistic, no matter where your loyalties lie, there are bound to be some fish in the sea you can find harmony with. Part of the beauty of America is how different everyone is.
Although we may not all agree, we still somehow come together. We should celebrate the diverse cultures and opinions of our country.
But when you’re submerged in the dating world — looking for someone to build a foundation with and potentially spend your life with — it seems far more appealing to agree on points like feminism, the refugee crisis and prison reform.
Not doing so could lead to unnecessary tension, and there’s a low likelihood that it will be the sexual kind. In short, the answer is yes: If politics matters to you, it matters to your relationship.
A House Divided: Why Couples Of Opposing Parties Will Never Make It
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