STAFF EDITORIAL
Is Compromise Possible? DOI Staff
Natalie Isberg
Zahraa Patel
Note: This piece is a staff editorial, which is an opinion article meant to reflect the opinions of the Drops of Ink staff. Because of this, the author’s name does not appear alongside the story, as the opinions shared in here are based on class discussions about the topic among the 20 DOI staff members. The staff is composed of students of all grades from a variety of backgrounds and experiences; therefore, the editorial speaks to the publication’s view on a subject and is not representative of each staff member’s exact view on the issue at hand.
In today’s polarizing political climate, the possibility of compromise down the other person. If we just refute instead of listen, we become even more set has often been brought up as a solution to a variety of divisive issues, in our beliefs, and far less likely to actually compromise. Instead of especially COVID-19, climate change and other politicized issues. accepting that someone may have different views, we dismiss them However, many people see compromise merely as persuading as wrong and see everything they say as a means to attack them, as someone else onto your side, but there’s much more to it. There opposed to looking at the commonalities. needs to be a give and take in a compromise, with each individuThere’s a fine line between maintaining values as an individual and al willing to make concessions for the purposes of coming to an being willing to compromise on political issues. Of course, we all have agreement. certain views on the world around us or morality that we feel are Mutual respect is an essential part of a compromise. If the two too important to compromise, which is okay, but we also need to sides in the issue don’t respect each other, they’ll be unwilling to understand that there are issues where compromise is available, and listen, and therefore unwilling to lose anything they want. we should seek one. It may seem tough to give up what you want, but in reality, we Most issues now, like masks, the environment, and equal rights, do it almost every day. If your friend wants to get lunch at Chipotle have become divided along political party lines which can be incredand you want to go to Culver’s, you might say that you could go to ibly harmful. If people only focus on party alliance, they’re far less Chipotle today and Culver’s tomorrow. That’s a compromise. likely to look at the other side, even if their values align with certain We should try to focus on the little compromises we make, and issues of the other party. see how the outcomes of those affect you positively. With political This division creates an us vs. them mentality lacking any mutual polarization, we often find ourselves asking if compromise is really respect for the other side of the argument, which makes comproworth it, without realizing just how often we make compromises. mise seem impossible. If we gave up on the concept of compromise, we could never get In the end, striving for a compromise is worth it. It allows for a anything done on any level. If you and your friend don’t compromise more successful world where more people are satisfied with the on where to go to lunch, you wouldn’t be able to get lunch with world around them. Even if we don’t get everything exactly as we them unless you agree exactly. want it, we still get something, and the world would be better for it. While choosing a place to eat may seem like a small issue, the same ideas can be applied on a much larger scale. When passing any law, there has to be a compromise. Some representatives may not want a certain clause in a bill, so to get them to vote in favor of it the sponsor of the bill may remove that clause. In history, we tend to focus on when compromise didn’t work, as opposed to when it did. Most wars fought can be broken down into a failed, or unattempted, compromise. However, it is much more difficult to successfully compromise on bigger issues, since people are so much more passionate. You may not have a strong preference on where you and your friend go to lunch, but you’re far more likely to have strong views on political issues. Both sides can be equally as passionate as one another in most political issues, but it’s tough for each side to realize that. When arguing, we find ourselves getting so caught up in our side of the argument that we don’t even listen to the other side; instead just finding ways to knock down what they’re saying. The mutual respect needed to successfully comproFinding a middle ground in small issues, such as finding a place to have lunch mise is lost when we don’t actually listen to the other with friends, is something we do on a daily basis. However, compromises for side. With some exceptions, the goal of discussions on bigger issues are harder to achieve due simply to the passion and the multiissues should be to find a compromise, not just knock tude of preferences expressed within the issue. 18 DROPS OF INK
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