There is no doubt that 2020 was a radical year, filled with wildfires, a pandemic, and a presidential election. And while candidate Joe Biden won the election, America is still divided by differences of opinion. Millions of people live in the United States, and yet, we’re not united one bit.

Everybody has different opinions about who should run our country, how it should be run, and what should or shouldn’t be legal. And while it is normal to have different opinions, the way Americans convey their opinions is far from normal.  

But what makes this entire phenomenon even more unbelievable is that both sides of the political aisle are continually fed information — most of the time on social media — that makes any sort of agreement or compromise out of the question. 

Arguments revolving around abortions, firearms, and the United States’ governmental system have been taking place for quite some time, and due to both sides’ inability to effectively communicate, America won’t be coming to an agreement anytime soon. 

As the debate as to whether abortions should be banned in the United States continues, it’s become evident that there are two separate sides to the debate – pro-life and pro-choice – and neither side is willing to give in just yet. Team pro-life’s argument is based off of life starting at conception, while team pro-choice’s argument is based off life starting at birth. A majority of pro-life arguments are based around the Bible, while pro-choice’s arguments are based on science. 

Firearms, or rather the misuse of firearms for non-defense purposes have been a common theme in the United States. There have been over 1,300 school shootings in the United States since 1970, and the numbers continue to rise as the process of acquiring a firearm gets easier. Many households have at least one firearm, and “39% of parents wrongly believe children don’t know where the gun is stored.” 

Global warming has become a very big topic within the past few years. It is going to be something our generation is going to have to deal with for the rest of our lives. People debate whether it is actually happening, or if it’s just one big hoax. Scientists continue to spread news that climate change is rapidly going up and that if we don’t slow down climate change soon, our world may be too far gone. 

However, some believe that scientists are only saying this to scare people. They believe that scientists are saying this to people to get them to stop using oil and coal to bring down the coal and oil companies. Some also don’t want to stop using fossil fuels, for coal and oil are pretty reliable sources of energy and they are cheaper than clean energy. Others believe that we can continue to use fossil fuels while we build up the clean energy sources, however, one day we want to be mostly off of fossil fuels so we can help save the environment. They also believe that these new, cleaner, energy sources will help create new jobs for more people who live in the United States.

Another major difference between Republicans and Democrats, is the viewpoint on racial inequality and the lgbtq+ community. When it comes to the lgbtq+ community, far-right conservatives mainly do not support them. They do not believe in same-sex relationships or marriages, whereas Democrats predominantly believe that love is love and that they shouldn’t be discriminated against based on their sexuality.

While everybody is entitled to different beliefs and ideals, the harm comes when both sides are unwilling to respectfully allow each other to exist. Protests have taken place nationwide to continue debates, and while they can often be successful, some have resulted in violence and crime. There is no real solution that can please everybody, so it is our job as citizens of America to come together and respectfully agree to disagree with others’ opinions.