The Argument I Have In My Head

This piece was created for a class in which we were inspired by Living Writers. This is the most opinionated and political piece I have ever written and I am very proud of it. Additionally, for a component of this class I turned this piece into a YouTube video utilizing a video game and which was then uploaded to the Living Writers channel and can be viewed by clicking here.

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There is an argument I have in my head. People scream and yell their red or blue arguments and I listen, the shade between, refusing to identify with either, but still having strong beliefs on every topic they discuss. It is ironic, I think, that they say never to talk politics with others, and yet the fact of the matter is that we need to. If we all keep it inside, things will never change.

So, here it is.

This is the argument in my head.

The one that I cannot keep inside any longer.

The one that needs to be said as much as it needs to be heard.

KEEP THEM OUT! THEY DON’T BELONG HERE! LISTEN TO OUR GOOD CHRISTIAN PRESIDENT! BUILD THE WALL! KEEP ALL OF THEM OUT!

But...we don’t belong here either, not really. Christopher Columbus came to America and stole this land from the people he found already living here because no one told him he could not. They have just as much of a right to be here as we do. And that bible you cling to, the one you claim you and your President know, it says “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,” and yet you want to keep your neighbors out? You are okay with families being torn apart, women being raped, children being held in cages? That sounds fine to you as long as they stay out? We are all immigrants, we are all one race, we are all human, we all belong wherever we want to belong.

GOD SAYS YOU CANNOT LOVE SOMEONE OF THE SAME SEX. READ THE BIBLE.

I have been raised a Christian my whole life, and the God I know is not someone who would diminish or punish people for who they love. The God I know is someone who loves his people endlessly. You cannot choose who you love. How many times have you fallen for someone you did not want to be in love with? I know I have, too many times. If that cannot be controlled, how can you say that choosing to love only the opposite gender can? You are attracted to who you are attracted to, you fall for who you fall for, that’s that, and calling people hateful names, trying to force them to change, and violently abusing them for doing so is definitely not what God would want, that I guarantee you. If that does not convince you, take a look at animals, one of God’s creations says the bible, right? Same-sex pairings are super common. Why would it be okay for animals to do this but not humans too?

Love is love, what more is there to it?

TO GET AN ABORTION IS TO MURDER A CHILD. PRO-LIFE! PRO-LIFE! PRO-LIFE!

What happens to a woman’s body should always be her choice. But, the fact is, that it is not always her choice. Women are raped, and you expect them to carry and birth the child of a man who already took so much from them if this is something they do not want to do? What about women who cannot provide for a child? You want to force them to bring a child into the world when they are not ready to do so? Screw pro-life, PRO-CHOICE because every single woman must be allowed the right to have control over their own bodies and lives. And no man (or woman, but let's be honest, it is almost always men. A room full of men making decisions about women’s bodies. It is laughable how absurd that is, really.) should be allowed to say otherwise. Women should have total control over their bodies, end of story.

ALL LIVES MATTER, NOT BLACK LIVES MATTER. OUR LIVES MATTER TOO, NOT JUST BLACK ONES.

No one ever said all lives DIDN’T matter, we said BLACK LIVES MATTER because black lives are being cruelly and unjustly discriminated against, prejudiced against, and murdered all the time, you are not. You do not have to tell your child that if they are pulled over they need to keep their hands visible and make no sudden movements at all or they could be shot and killed. You do not have to worry about walking around in a hoodie and being labeled a thug and being attacked for doing so. You do not have to fear for your life every single time you see flashing red and blue lights behind you. You do not have to worry about your children, brother, sister, mother, father, cousin, friend being unjustly murdered and then not even getting the justice they deserve. You do not have to worry that the justice system meant to provide justice and equality for all will fail you over and over. They do. Scream it louder, scream it always, scream it until things actually change

BLACK LIVES MATTER.

THERE ARE ONLY TWO GENDERS. MALE AND FEMALE. THAT IS ALL. GOD SAYS SO IN THE BIBLE.

Sigh, more of this? Really? Well, let me say it again, God loves his people. Endlessly. And since you are so about God and the bible, let’s talk about the fact that many animals change their genders. Clownfish. Frogs. Sea bass. Banana Slugs. Butterflies. Cardinals. Countless more, look it up. Why would God make these creatures and be okay with them changing gender but not be okay with people doing the same? You say the bible and creation are evidence against any other genders, but God’s creations actually are direct evidence for the opposite. People deserve and should absolutely have the right to choose and be whoever they want to be.

ALL COPS ARE GOOD. WASN’T THAT MAN HE SHOT A DRUG DEALER? A CRIMINAL? IT’S JUST SELF DEFENSE THEN AND IT IS JUSTIFIED. THAT COP JUST WANTED TO GET HOME SAFELY TO HIS WIFE AND KIDS.

Self defense? SELF DEFENSE? That man was just driving doing nothing wrong and he was pulled over because of the color of his skin. That cop was afraid because of the color of the man's skin. That cop made a racial stereotype that prejudiced them against a complete stranger simply based on a false lie. That cop shot the man for reaching to get his license. After the man told him he was going to do so. That cop shot him seven times for no reason other than a stereotype. A racially based and charged fear. And what about the man who was wrongfully murdered, what about his family? Not all cops are good, not all cops are bad, but most of all, many are corrupt and act based on racial prejudices. Many cops assume all black people are criminals, so why is it surprising then that many black people assume all cops are corrupt and prejudiced against them?

MASKS ARE JUST A CONTROL TACTIC! MASKS ARE USELESS! MASKS ARE TAKING AWAY OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS!

Masks are important for protecting others. You may not be at risk, most people might not be at risk, but there are still many people who are. There are people who can die if they catch this virus. Thus, we wear masks to help protect our fellow human beings. And if wearing a mask is the most oppressed you have ever felt, please check your privilege. We wear masks because human decency. Human compassion. Human kindness. We wear masks because we care.

It’s hard to speak up, but we cannot stay quiet. Not when so many individuals' rights and lives are on the line. So stand tall, find your voice, and speak up however you can. If we all do, together we can strive for change and try to improve the world we all live in.