By Emily Carson
News Editor
Prior to last week’s election, students all over the country were preparing for it in their own way. St. Bonaventure clubs and organizations on campus helped students prepare as well, and planned events in an effort to bring students together to watch history unfold.
I would like to think every college student was concerned about the candidates and who would be elected. Sadly, however, I know that is not the case.
In 2010, less than 13 percent of college students said the reason they didn’t vote was because they were not interested, according to campusvoteproject.org. Considering this, it was nice to see that groups on campus wanted others to get involved, learn and join the conversation.
WSBU 88.3, The Buzz hosted debate parties in Murphy Auditorium, so students who didn’t have access to the debates could see what each candidate had to offer. I feel that this may have encouraged those who wouldn’t normally watch a political debate to come to the event and get involved.
On election night, staff members of The Buzz also announced the winner of each state as it was announced. Since our college radio station was covering it, this might have encouraged those who were not necessarily interested in the presidential race to tune in.
Both the College Democrats and College Republicans hosted their own viewing parties, and they invited the campus community to join them. Although their views differ, I liked how members of both clubs invited everyone to come and watch history be made.
However, some Election Day conversation on campus, especially political talk that took to the social media outlets, quickly got out of hand.
It’s fine to add your two cents to any conversation, but when someone begins to say they’re going to move out of the country if one candidate was elected over the other, political discussion gets a little too ridiculous.
Last week, I saw a friendship end because of a disagreement on social media about the election. Everyone seemed to have an opinion, and everyone seemed to put anyone else down who didn’t agree with them. This isn’t the point of social media at all. Users should feel comfortable sharing their opinions with others on the internet, rather than worrying about what others will say.
Status updates and tweets are there for you to voice your opinion, and comments and retweets are there for response. However, there is a fine line between discussion and just being plain mean. If you’re threatening someone’s life because of their political views on social media, there’s a problem.
Let others voice their opinion, so you can do the same. Calling them out isn’t going to make you look any smarter.
As Americans, we have that right. Freedom of speech is a luxury that not everyone has the opportunity to experience. However, there is a level of respect that everyone should abide by, no matter how much they disagree with another’s opinions.
Go to events, get involved and use social media to discuss what’s going on, not to inflate your ego.
