Hamlet, the Shakespeare play, is known for its quotes and complex themes. Quotes such as “to be or not to be” are in it, though we in the modern day tend to attribute the quote to love, despite the fact that Hamlet was contemplating whether his life was worth living anymore in the dialogue. But the quote that might hold more significant guidance for one’s moral compass comes from Polonius: “This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night and day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” The quote is simple: if you are always true to yourself, then you cannot deceive anyone into believing you are something you are not.
I would like to take this concept further and apply it to navigating differences in a modern political world. To start, I must disclaim: differences are okay, normal, and should not be scrutinized. We should not all be homogeneous, as we did not all experience the same lives. For example, Christians should not look down upon Muslims or Buddhists. Differences such as saying the government should stop allocating funds to one sector of the government and give it to another are not something that warrants cutting someone off or ostracizing them. But these are basic differences that do not affect one’s character or the morality of our country.
I personally align myself as a moderate Democrat. I agree with Republicans on a few different fronts. I agree that Democrats need to become more culturally normal. I agree that at some point we can no longer blame socioeconomics for someone’s shortcomings in the world. I agree that there is a lot of wasteful spending. But my fundamental differences with the MAGA faction of the Republican Party are why I do not even keep friends with people who voted for Donald Trump. I cannot be apathetic to the blatant ethical concerns of his administration or the discriminatory nature of his rhetoric.
This concept, that ALL opinions should be welcome, is harmful. It is a tool used by the right to infiltrate mainstream politics and gives extremist ideas a seat at the table. Fundamental moral differences should not be tolerated. Go back to Polonius’s quote. If one is apathetic to racism, xenophobia, homophobia, etc., despite the fact that they are not personally any of those things, then they are being false to man.
We saw DEI being attacked in 2024 because it “allowed incompetent minorities to get jobs they didn’t deserve.” Obviously, there is significantly more nuance to DEI, and I personally have yet to establish a firm position on it. But that is not where my concern lies. It was never about merit with Republicans. Trump appointed the youngest press secretary in history, Karoline Leavitt. He appointed the only FBI director in history to never serve in the FBI, Kash Patel. He put a former Fox News host in the Department of War (formerly called the Department of Defense) with Pete Hegseth. He put someone who did not even have a medical degree as the head of Health and Human Services by selecting Robert F. Kennedy. Then he put a woman who shot and killed her own dog in charge of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. Additionally, Trump is the only president in history to be elected with no prior political experience in 2016. Their problem was never with merit when complaining about DEI; it was that minorities were succeeding. That is a fundamental disagreement, and I cannot surround myself with people who believe someone who carries those values be the most powerful person in the world. That is not true to me and who I am, so I will not falsely testify.
Additionally, the treatment of women by Trump is something we must not tolerate, especially women. Trump cheated on all three wives, one with a porn star while his wife was pregnant. He buried his ex-wife, Ivana Trump, on a golf course of his so that he could get a tax exception, from the government by claiming it as a cemetery. MAGA also calls for the return of the traditional household, despite the fact that young women are outperforming young men in almost every metric. Multiple times, Trump has insulted women on their appearances and bodies. My message still holds. I will not tolerate being around someone who believes that someone who treats women like that should be the most powerful person in the world.
For the sake of brevity, I will end there. The fundamental differences between me and someone who supports Donald Trump are drastic. To say that I think someone is entitled to feel that way and that it is okay that they do is a compromise of my morals. I will not falsely testify. I understand that some people do not want to cause problems or want to feel liked and included. But ask yourself, “Who would I be if…?” Who would you be if you stood to the side of hurtful rhetoric? I say in this case, division is okay. It is okay to let people know you do not support their beliefs, that you think people like Donald Trump should lose their seat at the table until those fundamentally different viewpoints change. MAGA can keep their difference in opinion, not their differences in humanity.
For What it's Worth 
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