My Republican parents aren’t voting for Trump

My parents know who they’re voting for in this election, and it’s not Trump.

I always thought my parents were strict Democrats, unswayed by the various Republican candidates that have cropped up since the late ‘80s, content to stick to the status quo of our very blue state (New York) based on their basic beliefs. I would describe my upbringing as liberal in many senses of the word.

When Donald Trump came roaring onto our TV screens this past year, there was never a single moment when I thought mom and dad agreed with any of his policies. They mostly bashed his hair in the early stages and now, as election day approaches, angrily regurgitate his remarks and refuse to believe he’s a serious presidential candidate.

My parents went to an election event for one of our congressmen in October, which was hosted by a family whose daughter I was best friends with in high school. She’s a few years older than I am and is working on his campaign. He is a Republican candidate. I wasn’t even sure why they went to the campaign dinner.

“Dad and I are registered Republicans,” my mom said when I went home a few weekends ago for a surgery consult that turned into apple picking and Thai food.

“What?” I said.

Turns out my parents have been on that side of the ticket for decades and never bothered to change their registration, despite the fact that they’ve voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since Reagan left office. Learning this simple fact about my parents got me thinking about politics, beliefs and privacy.

On college campuses and particularly at Hopkins, we are constantly vocal about what we believe in. The path to the 2016 election is no exception — Facebook posts abound and I overhear conversations about debates and new scandals all the time. I’ve never been a particularly political person, but that’s changed as Donald Trump simultaneously becomes more and less of a joke. But if my parents, the people I lived with for 18 years, can fool me into believing they weren’t registered Republicans for that long, how can we discern the real from the fake? How can we know if that one person’s impassioned Facebook rant will translate into their ballot?

My mom laughed when I was dumbfounded at her realization. At the party, they were told they were bad Republicans. My dad replied to the accuser, “We’re not Republicans.”

So when it comes to politics, what does it mean to be on one side or the other? How often do beliefs change all at once and then stay that way for more than 20 years?

My parents have, of course, shaped what I believe. But coming to Hopkins has opened my eyes to so many viewpoints and issues that I’ve realized that where I may lean now could change, mutate or switch sides. There’s a whole world of things to believe in — or not — out there. If my parents can be bad Republicans, I can mold my beliefs in any way I want. As college students voting in 2016, we can grow and change to suit the times while remaining true to what we believe in, no matter what that might be right now. However, I don’t recommend being as private about your party as my parents have been. It’s 2016. We have a unique responsibility to get our views out there. The same college students who can continually shape their politics also have the power to shape how the world consumes them.