It is hard to not notice the negative comments surrounding this year’s presidential election. It is hard to not just sit and mock our political system.

Is it broken? You bet. Are we fixing it at all with our current rhetoric? No.

Trump supporters aren’t evil, they are tired. Bernie bros and gals, they are tired. They are two divided ends of the same puzzle no one is trying to fit together.

The two party system, the electoral college and of course voter misinformation are just a few things that both groups of supporters can be upset with in the current election.

Our attitude is all our own though.

I met with a Trump supporter Carter Powley. I asked him what he thought about the divide in the nation.

“I think it is a problem, the country would be much better if we were all unified under one cause,” Powley said. “Which isn’t going to happen this election. We missed that boat.”

I then asked him why he was planning on voting for Trump.

“I don’t want my answer bashing Hillary, but she is a politician. I don’t want a politician and that is why I want Trump personally.”

When asked about Trump’s reputation Powley said, “I don’t think he is a misogynist or a bigot. I wouldn’t vote for someone who I believed was a misogynist or a bigot.”

There is one thing most people seem to agree on: denounce Trump. An overarching theme is to just assume the worst of Trump supporters and not actually talk to them. Where hating Trump is something that a lot have fallen to. A lot are finding it hard to love Hillary as well.

In my opinion Hillary Clinton is a good presidential candidate. No matter where you sit politically, to have someone with her experience in the White House is not a bad thing. She is a through-and-through politician. Will she be great? Maybe. Is she going to destroy the country? no.

Is she my first choice? No. Am I voting for her? Yes.

I asked Emma Ewen, a mechanical engineering major, about her endorsement of Hillary Clinton.

“I think the current election is a s—t show,” Ewen said. This is something that many can relate to.

When asked about the great divide for the nation, Ewen responded quickly with, “I think it is going to be the case for a long time.”

Ewen’s opinions are not that unlike Powley’s. This is the way things are going to be for a long time.

When asked if she thinks it’s everyone’s fault, Ewen responded with a laughing, “Oh, for sure.”

We have been given these options. Even though we have been screwed in several ways, it is hard to justify our angst as productive.

We can’t just sit and sulk. Rather, we must focus on what we can control. We can start by not denouncing candidates. We sit and condemn our broken system but no one is actually willing to accept blame for it.

Trump wouldn’t kill this country; in fact, it probably would be just fine. In my opinion, Hilary could be a great president. Are either one of them my first choice? Hell no.

The worst, period, thing, period, we could do though is sit and make jokes about our system. Where we offer up email memes and Trump horror stories is where we fail. What we really need to have is a renewal of education, a renewal of healthy debate in this country.

Why would anyone ever support a misogynistic weasel of a man like Trump? I don’t know, ask someone. They are everyday people just like you. You need to hear to the other side out for there to be any progress.

“I am blaming the leaders in charge for not working with each other,” Ewen said.

Laughing about our current political system we had to blame someone else that wasn’t ourselves. The problem is we are the problem. He have chosen to stop listening to each other and our leaders have followed our lead.

We sit and denounce each candidate. We sit and chastise our friends who have other opinions than ours. Instead of actually taking the time to educate ourselves on the issues we sit and collect election memes.

It is a terrifying reality.

As the election date comes, we must understand this is our reality. Information is more available than ever before. Sharing of our ideas is available more than ever. We have the tools to educate a nation. At the moment though we are alienating each other and it has found its way to our leaders.