Sitting around the table, conversation flows back and forth between family members until the inevitable pops up. Politics. One slip of a word and a once rumbling chatter turns into deafening noise as members fight back and forth on their political views.   

Many families share ideologies with at least one other member, but in some cases a person is the black sheep of the family, their voice drowned out by the countless other members who want their majority to stay that way. Junior Kaylee Young knows this feeling all too well as she is a liberal amongst her conservative leaning family. 

Young’s views were not shaped by her family, but by her own research that she had done. Climbing into the rabbit hole that is politics, Young found herself tending to align her opinions with the left.

“[My parents] don’t necessarily agree with it, but I’m also one of them. It definitely causes a lot of arguments and I tend to stay quiet, but when stuff gets out of hand, I try to stick up to them, but it gets hard,” Young said. 

Unlike Young, Junior Jeremy Woelfel and his family share the same political beliefs. Even with his family’s influence, Woelfel tried to find his own way in politics. 

“My parents didn’t make any moral decisions for me, but I’m sure that I’ve been influenced by them,” Woelfel said, “ I’m sure most people get influenced by their family but I’ve made my decision separately from them.”

Clearly all families have their own dynamics, especially in the world of politics. For senior Rachel McAfee, that couldn’t be any more true. As a former homeschooler, her political experience has been a unique one. Even though its only her aunt and a few of her cousins sharing the same view, that hasn’t stopped her opposing parents from supporting her. 

  “If I ever need to rant about politics, my parents will push aside their own bias to simply listen because they know I need it,” McAfee said.

While her family tries to be supportive, there have been certain political issues that can’t be ignored. After the overturning of Roe V. Wade, McAfee’s aunt and cousins began posting on social media about the negative effects which caused a conversation amongst the family. The real concern was surprisingly focused more on why they believed certain things rather than the belief themselves.

“We’re worried that each other’s beliefs come from someone taking advantage of them rather than their own way of thinking,” McAfee said, “ I know the right likes to use misinformation tactics but I also know the left likes to reject people. We normally talk about why the other person feels that way rather than instantly bashing each other.”