<p>@Hunt: try being afraid to state who you supported for president for fear your classmates and teachers would ridicule and insult you, try telling people you lean conservative and having them say “But you’re smart!” and then get back to me on that.</p>
<p>I’m very liberal on social issues but conservative on fiscal and foreign policy matters, and have been discriminated against many, many times because of my conservative views. As a younger kid I was made to feel ashamed and like I was doing something wrong. One time, as my teacher gave a diatribe about how awful Republicans were, I was so inflamed and upset I actually had to walk out of the classroom. I’ve gotten more comfortable over time with expressing my beliefs, but I still don’t tell people about my conservative viewpoints unless they are good friends and I trust them. If I told most people who are acquaintances about where I stand politically, they would judge me and view me more negatively.</p>
<p>I’m sorry that this is a little off-topic but I just wanted to clear up that misconception. I don’t think someone who leans conservative should be made to feel his or her beliefs make him/her a bad person–but this is exactly the sort of attitude espoused by my environment growing up in very liberal areas of the country. And I think a lot of people don’t realize this is an issue. A lot of right-wingers could stand to be a lot more tolerant. So could a lot of left-wingers.</p>