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OPINION: If Democrats want to ever win votes back, they need to stop romanticizing victimhood and violence and start engaging in a civil and productive manner
When I arrived at the University of North Carolina-Asheville in 2024, I stood firm in my belief that I was a liberal. I was under the impression liberalism was about tolerance and acceptance for all.
Unfortunately, while on campus, I’ve frequently been a target for bullying and verbal harassment — and not by the party one might think would be responsible.
As a political science major, I had a strong desire to stay politically active on campus, but I wanted to study all sides of the spectrum. I made the choice to join both the College Democrats and Turning Point USA this past spring semester of 2025.
Turning Point USA welcomed my unique perspective with open arms. Their president was actually thrilled that I am a Democrat and introduced me as such. She introduced me to the other members and they seemed excited to see that I was willing to talk to them.
I would attend club meetings and debate other members. Not only were my ideas heard, but I was debated civilly and engaged post-meetings by many members, who treated me as a colleague and not an opponent. They were genuinely invested in my thoughts and ideas.
My first meeting at College Democrats was jarring in comparison, and quite eye-opening, too. I had visions in my head of inviting members of the DNC to campus, organizing protests, and having healthy debates with my peers.
What I observed instead was a vast majority of individuals in the club joking about taking their own lives as a bleak response to their disgust with the current state of the world. Passive suicide ideation was accepted and joked about while we spoke about how prominent political figures make them feel.
Many members openly described themselves as depressed, anxious, autistic and suicidal, wearing their illnesses like badges of honor. Four years ago I struggled with suicidal thoughts due to obsessive-compulsive disorder, so I was unbelievably horrified to hear that kind of talk.
In our club meetings, I worked hard not to make OCD my identity, because I know I am more than my limitations. My passion and involvement in the mixed-martial arts community has helped me with that growth. But it was gut-wrenching to hear my Democratic peers let their illnesses define them, knowing well the destruction that mindset can cause.
Before long, the members of the College Democrats found out I was also a member of Turning Point USA. Next came the name calling and jeers on campus.
Multiple members of the College Democrats consulted the leadership of the club and interrogated the president to find out why I’d been allowed to attend TPUSA meetings, as if I needed permission to talk across the aisle.
In the following weeks, I was stopped and questioned several times on campus about my beliefs by other College Democrats. To their credit, the president of College Democrats at UNCA attempted to encourage others to discuss our disagreements in a more formal manner, but to many it fell on deaf ears.
I soon reached a point of frustration with the group and before long stopped attending. I still champion good causes that I consider to be liberal: pro-gay marriage, progressive tax systems for the wealthy, and even free healthcare.
But there are two different Democratic parties right now — people who lean left and people who need help. The latter are people who are miserable and will attempt to position you as inferior while victimizing themselves if you do not march to their tune.
After the shooting of Charlie Kirk last month, many on campus mourned the tragedy, but I noticed some of the same individuals who shouted me down last semester championed his death.
The week following Kirk’s murder I began seeing posters advertising a seminar that stated: “Be Gay. Do Crime. Everyday acts of queer resistance and rebellion.” It was to be led by a UNCA sociology professor.
A week ago I would have mistaken the poster as another cringe-worthy phrase pulled from a Reddit post. But after Kirk’s killing it feels different and all too intentional.
A call to arms roping gay individuals into a message about violent rhetoric is about the worst thing you can do for the community right now.
Since coming to UNCA, my understanding of the liberal spectrum has been broadened in a haunting fashion.
I am no longer sure of my future as a Democrat. I am certain, however, that if Democrats want to ever win votes back, they need to stop romanticizing victimhood and violence and start engaging in a civil and productive manner.
UNCA student Benjamin Ellis is a senior studying political science.
Editor’s note: After publication, Cheyton Hall, the current president of the UNCA College Democrats, sent in a letter to the editor:
Ben joined our club with the understanding he came from a conservative town and mindset and we welcomed him to our meetings with open arms. Any actions taken by members of the student body without knowledge of club leadership or members do not represent the beliefs of the College Democrats. College Democrats affirms our commitment to open dialogue and freedom of discussion, in doing so we allow our membership to discuss issues affecting their identities, whether that be religious or gender, members have the freedom to discuss issues affecting them without fear of retaliation. The [slogan and writings touting] “be gay, do crime: everyday acts of queer resistance” [predates the] horrific killing of Charlie Kirk and is a manual of ways to protest, form mutual aid groups, and gives a history of queer activism, any assertion that [it] has any intention as a rallying cry for violence is demonstrably false.
MORE: UT-Chattanooga approves TPUSA chapter, overrules student government’s rejection
