I have noticed that there are people on both sides of the political spectrum that stick to their beliefs, and do not consider other opinions.

As of right now, I do not feel comfortable publishing my personal political beliefs in a newspaper for anyone to see, but in everyday conversation occasionally I will offer my opinion when it comes to political issues in our modern world.

Constantly whether it be in person or via The World Wide Web people do not acknowledge other opinions from the other side of the political spectrum, and this certainly is the wrong way to approach these issues.

It is perfectly fine to disagree with someone, but it is not fine to attack a person for their beliefs, or at least not listen to them when it comes to their own explanations.

In order to even comment on political/social issues, one must be informed with cold hard facts on the subject. These facts need to come from verified sources with no bias. If it is from a biased source, it cannot be taken as fact. If these “facts” come from an extremely biased source, the source is basically propaganda.

Certain people follow their political party religiously and do not personally question anything from the party or its members.

Some Republicans would say President Donald Trump is not a good example for the Republican Party, while some Democrats would say former Secretary Hillary Clinton is not a good example for the Democratic Party.

The people I just mentioned above are people who use their own opinions along with deductive reasoning to come to their own conclusions on these party candidates. These types of people are more likely to use logos arguments with their beliefs instead of pathos or ethos arguments.

The other kinds of people that do not use this deductive reasoning are usually closed minded and shut out any other possible opinions on political/ social issues. When it comes to everyday political debates, these people sound unprofessional and sound uninformed on current events and party beliefs.

Political debates should be “debates” at the end of the day. In a debate you hear out the other person’s arguments and beliefs and acknowledge their reasoning for them, and then you professionally disagree and give reasons why you disagree. If you just take a certain stance because you feel it to be true, and shut out/ attack the opposing opinion, you should not be commenting on it in the first place.

Do not attack the people who align with your opposite opinion on a political issue. Be open to their input on the subject and keep things professional not emotional.

It is healthy for us as human beings to question everything about our everyday lives. Not only should you question opinions professionally from others, but you must question your own beliefs. We are human we do make mistakes with our own judgements.

Everyone’s opinions matter, but your opinion will sound unprofessional and in some cases ridiculous if you do not acknowledge other opinions on the topic.

Jordan Boyer is a senior history major.

He can be reached at 581-2812 or at jtboyer@eiu.