In this event, volunteers read transcripts compiled from Americans' responses to questions regarding partisanship in the United States. I participated as a reader for this event. The person whose transcript I read was a middle-aged white man who talked about the Reagan administration. He said Reagan inspired him because, at the time, the Soviet Union was a significant threat, and he remembered Reagan saying, “The sun is a beautiful thing, but next week it’ll be gone.” The man commented that it had been a long time since he’d felt inspired by a leader or president in the same way. He explained this was because modern leaders try to spread themselves over every issue, diminishing their ability to inspire. When we discussed this narrative afterward, there was a consensus that many people currently feel the same way—that politicians are no longer people we turn to for inspiration. 

I spoke to her after the event to ask for clarification. Brandy stated that a lot of youth are identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community and making up terms to feel special and unique. She seemed annoyed that everyone was “trying to be different” and argued that we are all the same and we are all human. I disagree with the idea that youth identifying as queer stems from a desire to be unique and that this detracts from the idea that we all share a humanity.

One of the reasons this interested me was because it was similar to rhetoric I’ve heard from transphobic or homophobic peers or relatives. While I did a research paper on this for my gender studies class, I had not considered that there may be queer individuals who feel this way.

On the one hand, I appreciated the sense of belonging she promoted and the acknowledgment that a lot of these labels are centered on Western perceptions since identity and perceptions of it are shaped by society and influenced by Western institutions. However, I disagree that these identities are less valid or reflect everyone wanting to be special or different. This ties into the work I do as an educator and advocate, as I believe that dismissing identities is harmful. Categorizing or putting language on identity doesn’t mean labeling it as “other.” 

I attended Freedoms Foundation (now Founding Forward) at Valley Forge in 2023. While I am incredibly lucky to be in Punahou’s diverse community, living in Hawaiʻi and attending Punahou has put me in a bubble where I am largely surrounded by people who share experiences and values similar to mine. I became distinctly aware of the bubble I live in during tenth grade while I was on a trip to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania under the Freedoms Foundation program. During this event, I participated in workshops and conferences about civic engagement with 60 students from six states. I had the opportunity to engage with students who had backgrounds and opinions that differed vastly from my own. Speaking with students who held vastly different views altered my perception of the United States and its current political divide. It may come as a surprise to learn that I currently consider myself a patriot, but this experience helped me reevaluate how I perceive the term. Instead of hearing differing opinions from politicians pushing an agenda, a stubborn relative, or an inflammatory news source, I was able to engage with students who wanted genuine discussion and made friends with many of the individuals I spoke to. This allowed me to acknowledge that many people with differing political views were not immoral or against my own values but had different backgrounds, communities, information sources, and experiences.