Conservative Views in a Liberal Landscape
Kenny Ling '21 Staff Writer
What is the difference between right and wrong? In a political sense, there isn’t a difference. But what does it mean to be a conservative? Or even a liberal? According to a study conducted by Pew Research Center, most people identify themselves as “independent,” having both conservative and progressive views. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in Howard County, Maryland. In the 2020 presidential election, 70.7% of HoCo voters voted for Joe Biden while only 26.4% voted for Donald Trump. This is shocking due to the fact that only 53% of HoCo are registered Democrats. In such an extremely left-leaning area, it’s been difficult for me to express my conservative opinions and views.
COVID-19, a gray area when it comes to safety, has driven Howard County insane with masks and implementing social distancing. Personally, masks are effective to a certain extent. But this also aligns with social distancing. Staying six feet apart should negate the need to wear masks at every turn. At a recent Howard soccer game, a photo surfaced on Twitter displaying a crowd of passionate fans celebrating after a goal, scored by senior Karl Quist-Therson. Backlash from the liberal community for not social distancing and wearing masks resulted in severe and unnecessary repercussions such as being denied entry into sporting events. A liberal Twitter user attacked me and my friends for not wearing a mask at the game, completely ignoring our side of the story, and condemned us for breaking the law. Braden Zehring, a spectator at the game and captain of the Howard lacrosse team, spoke out on the issue: “It’s getting ridiculous at this point, I mean a picture of the fans celebrating without masks causes hysteria from Twitter, just ridiculous.” Even the system of when and where to wear masks is ineffective and inconsistent. People can play contact-to-contact football without wearing masks while I’m required to wear a mask running on a treadmill, lifting weights and sitting twenty feet away in a class with just my teacher.
The $15-per-hour minimum wage seems great right? A pinnacle part of the Democratic Party platform, there’s no surprise that it’s already set in motion with the minimum wage being raised to $15 on January 1, 2025 in Maryland. More money, more wealth, more success. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Smaller businesses will be heavily impacted as well as inflated prices for Maryland goods and services. Still don’t believe it? The price of a Chipotle steak bowl increased from $7.50 to $9.20 in a span of two years, which is no coincidence. As a student working a part-time job, the measly pay raise from an increase in minimum wage fails to compensate for the rise in price for goods and services. Emily Zahn, a part-time cashier and sophomore at Howard, gave her voice on the high minimum wage: “I always thought higher minimum wage was a good thing, until I started working and buying stuff.” It’s safe to say in 5 years from now, a good ole Chipotle bowl will be $30 along with a $5 bottle of water.
The Star Spangled Banner, this great nation’s anthem, hasn’t been treated too kindly in recent years. Tuning into last year’s NBA playoff games and witnessing athletes and coaches kneel against the flag, really had me questioning if the United States really was great. To see our greatest athletes and role models disgrace our flag and troops really made my blood boil. Social injustice was and still is a problem, but taking it out on the symbol that represents innocence, perseverance and justice seems to be doing more harm than good. Kneeling before the flag is counterproductive in promoting a cause; all it really does is cause division rather than unity in our country. “I agree with the problem of social injustice but kneeling doesn’t solve anything”, said Connor Henderson, a junior at Howard. There are other alternatives to promote awareness such as social media and rallies, rather than causing more chaos.
In short, the political climate in Howard County is overwhelmingly hostile towards my political views, rendering conservative students such as myself unable to express their opinions without judgement.
COVID-19, a gray area when it comes to safety, has driven Howard County insane with masks and implementing social distancing. Personally, masks are effective to a certain extent. But this also aligns with social distancing. Staying six feet apart should negate the need to wear masks at every turn. At a recent Howard soccer game, a photo surfaced on Twitter displaying a crowd of passionate fans celebrating after a goal, scored by senior Karl Quist-Therson. Backlash from the liberal community for not social distancing and wearing masks resulted in severe and unnecessary repercussions such as being denied entry into sporting events. A liberal Twitter user attacked me and my friends for not wearing a mask at the game, completely ignoring our side of the story, and condemned us for breaking the law. Braden Zehring, a spectator at the game and captain of the Howard lacrosse team, spoke out on the issue: “It’s getting ridiculous at this point, I mean a picture of the fans celebrating without masks causes hysteria from Twitter, just ridiculous.” Even the system of when and where to wear masks is ineffective and inconsistent. People can play contact-to-contact football without wearing masks while I’m required to wear a mask running on a treadmill, lifting weights and sitting twenty feet away in a class with just my teacher.
The $15-per-hour minimum wage seems great right? A pinnacle part of the Democratic Party platform, there’s no surprise that it’s already set in motion with the minimum wage being raised to $15 on January 1, 2025 in Maryland. More money, more wealth, more success. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Smaller businesses will be heavily impacted as well as inflated prices for Maryland goods and services. Still don’t believe it? The price of a Chipotle steak bowl increased from $7.50 to $9.20 in a span of two years, which is no coincidence. As a student working a part-time job, the measly pay raise from an increase in minimum wage fails to compensate for the rise in price for goods and services. Emily Zahn, a part-time cashier and sophomore at Howard, gave her voice on the high minimum wage: “I always thought higher minimum wage was a good thing, until I started working and buying stuff.” It’s safe to say in 5 years from now, a good ole Chipotle bowl will be $30 along with a $5 bottle of water.
The Star Spangled Banner, this great nation’s anthem, hasn’t been treated too kindly in recent years. Tuning into last year’s NBA playoff games and witnessing athletes and coaches kneel against the flag, really had me questioning if the United States really was great. To see our greatest athletes and role models disgrace our flag and troops really made my blood boil. Social injustice was and still is a problem, but taking it out on the symbol that represents innocence, perseverance and justice seems to be doing more harm than good. Kneeling before the flag is counterproductive in promoting a cause; all it really does is cause division rather than unity in our country. “I agree with the problem of social injustice but kneeling doesn’t solve anything”, said Connor Henderson, a junior at Howard. There are other alternatives to promote awareness such as social media and rallies, rather than causing more chaos.
In short, the political climate in Howard County is overwhelmingly hostile towards my political views, rendering conservative students such as myself unable to express their opinions without judgement.