People should be able to wear what they want without being harassed or assaulted
By Jessica Berget, Opinions Editor
Itās okay to hate other peopleās political beliefs. Iām definitely guilty of rolling my eyes a little bit when I hear an opinion I donāt like, and Iām sure many people who read this Opinions section have done the same. Like I said, itās totally fine to take issue with other peopleās beliefs or to have any strong reactions to them, especially when they wear those beliefs on a hat or T-shirt. However, when your reaction is to harass or assault the person because of it, thatās where I draw the line.
Recently, a video of a Vanās employee allegedly saying āfuck youā to a 14-year-old boy wearing a āMake America Great Againā (MAGA) hat in a Kansas mall went viral. This video was uploaded on February 17 and the employee has since been fired, but itās not the only story of people becoming hostile towards strangers wearing political apparel, especially with the infamous MAGA hat.
Even in Canada the hat has been the source of much controversy. In another video filmed at Mount Royal University in Calgary two students have a confrontation because one of them is wearing a MAGA hat. The video ends with a third person forcibly taking the hat off the student, which I think is an inappropriate way of dealing with the situation.
Iām using the MAGA hat scenarios as an example, but they could be wearing any hat and my stance would remain the same. People should be allowed to wear any clothing that supports their political beliefs without persecution. Itās our right to express ourselves freely, even if it means weāre exposed to ideas we may not like. Sure, you can have a conversation with them about it, but to forcibly take it off, yell at them, or assault them in any way is wrong in my opinion, no matter what side youāre on.
I see tolerance as a two-way street. We canāt expect others to be tolerant of our beliefs and opinions if we are not tolerant of theirs. In the past Iāve written articles about why I dislike āfeministā clothing, but that doesnāt mean Iām going to cuss someone out or tell them to take it off because thatās not my right. To do so would be a violation of their rights to express themselves, and a dick move on my part. If I have the right and freedom to wear anything I want, even clothes that present my political beliefs, then everyone should ultimately have that right.
People can wear Trump merchandise in the same way that people can wear merchandise of Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or any other political figure. You canāt pick and choose which political ideology is okay to put on a hat or a T-shirt just because you donāt agree with or have a problem with their viewpoint. You may not like it, and you may want to hit them in the face because of it, but thatās the price we pay for our right to free speech.
