_Emmett Ferguson is a freshman journalism major at MU. He is an opinion columnist who writes about student life for The Maneater._

One of the first rules of dating bequeathed unto me from media and TV was to never bring up politics or religion on the first date. Quite unfortunately, that information wasn’t really applicable to me as I was, and admittedly still am, trying to figure out how to approach the opposite gender in the first place. But, certain aspects of this information have unfortunately now morphed into a much broader version of the social standard: Don’t bring up politics. Period. With anyone.

There is a such a strong taboo placed on political affiliation nowadays, especially during this election, which is turning into a Saturday Night Live writer’s dream. I’ve had friends who have shared their deepest, darkest secrets with me still be hesitant to reveal who they voted for or even what party they stand with. Whenever they do, it’s always with a hand beckoning me closer and then in a hushed whisper. Generally, this clandestine relaying of information is followed by a worried look, as if they are awaiting my decision on whether to cut off our friendship due to their thoughts on politics.

This is ridiculous. In all honesty, I’m going to judge you more on whether you accept that “The Big Lebowski” is pure art and the magnum opus of the Coen brothers than whatever name you select on a ballot this fall. There is no reason people should judge someone in such a harsh manner just due to their political affiliation. I’ll ask just because I’m curious, not to deem you lesser because our opinions aren’t the same.

The fact that politics is so divisive is not only moronic; it is also egregiously hypocritical of us as a nation. Being able to have differing opinions and being able to voice those opinions without indictment is one of the main reasons we became a country in the first place. It’s the whole point of the First Amendment. If people are too afraid of the negative repercussions of voicing their own opinions, we ruined all that tea for nothing.

I realize that this election cycle has been especially divisive and pretty ugly. Flipping through the channels, you could easily confuse the presidential debates with either a poorly scripted sitcom or an MMA pre-fight smack talk session. Be as it may, the two parties really are not that different. Both are trying to reach the same goal; they’re aiming for the best future for America. They just have different ways of getting there.

That’s the thing that I believe is most frequently forgotten. When someone tells you they are voting for a candidate other than yours, it is not uncommon to treat them like they have it out for you, like they don’t want what is best for you or their community. In reality, you both share the same end goal: a better and fairer life. They just think one person has a better chance of achieving that.

Say you and your friend are the co-captains of a kickball team. It’s the final pick and there are only two people left. Your goal is unanimous: You both want your team to win, but you just disagree on who you think has a better chance of getting you that win. If you happen to have different opinions on which one to pick, you’ll just reasonably talk it out. You’re not going to write off your co-captain as an idiot for their opinion, and you’re certainly not going to stop being friends with them because of it. In a moderately amended quote from a presumably great kickball player, “A kickball team divided against itself cannot win.”