“So we’re just gonna do what we always do? Stir up some trouble and feed off the negative energy?”

Despite how much this quote seems to perfectly embody some of the worst people we know, these words were actually said by fictional villainess Aria Blaze, well-known for the Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks movie. As a siren, Aria and her fellow bandmates, Adagio Dazzle and Sonata Dusk, were able to use their singing abilities to influence the emotions of nearby victims to make them fight one another, causing division that fueled their powers.

One of their best songs, Under Our Spell, perfectly describes this process and acts as a sinister warning to not just the crowd they’re addressing, but also to the viewer.

Image Credit: GDJ from Pixabay

How, you might ask? Well, the overall message of the song is that if a community allows itself to become divided, it’s much easier for it to fall victim to the influences of those who don’t have the community’s best interests at heart. With this in mind, I realized that The Dazzlings sinister lyrics felt eerily similar to the messages many politicians tend to give, especially in America’s heavily polarized political landscape. So, I searched the lyrics, and my suspicions were supported by the song’s pre-chorus:

We've got the music, makes you move it

Got the song that makes you lose it

We say "jump," you say "how high?"

Put your hands up to the sky

We've got the music, makes you move it

Got the song that makes you lose it

We say "jump," you say "how high?" (High, h-h-h-high)

Put your hands up to the sky

There are other parts of this song (and the other two songs by The Dazzlings in the film) that could just as well support my argument. However, I specifically chose this pre-chorus because it reminds me of what I’ll call “the worship mentality” many supporters have towards their favorite candidates. Just as The Dazzlings gloat in their song, both Harris and Trump have “songs” (or messages) that make their supporters lose it.

For Harris, she gets people to her side by raising concerns about Trump’s age, questionable ethics, and promises of a more positive and united America. Trump, on the other hand, appeals to his voters by reciting (many debunked) conspiracy theories, stirring fear and hatred of immigrants, and consistently insulting his political opponents (or those who didn't endorse him) at seemingly every turn.

Image Credit: David Todd McCarty from Unsplash

My biggest gripe with this worship mentality is that it leads many voters to choose the candidate that tells them exactly what they want to hear over the one that would actually do a good job. Yes, we all have causes we believe in that we want our leaders to represent, but our opinions do not always align with what's true and/or what's best for our fellow Americans. Unfortunately, in this divided and tense time we're experiencing, many of us are allowing our beliefs to come before reason and empathy (especially when it comes to sensitive topics such as Roe v. Wade, immigration, natural disasters, etc.).

A good politician would use their leadership to bring calm to their communities and find solutions that don't hurt others. However, it seems genuine leadership has taken a disturbing nosedive in the past few years, especially with the prominence of social media campaigning. As most of us know, social media is a breeding ground for the worst kinds of toxicity and hatred imaginable.

So of course, it's the natural playing field for politicians to constantly trash-talk each other from afar instead of coming together to find a compromise on the big issues impacting many Americans. Sadly, this constant cesspool of immaturity has led to a disturbing ripple effect that the whole country is trapped in. Now, you can't go ANYWHERE on the internet without someone giving their abrasive (and often unasked for) two cents about how the country should be run.

Image Credit: OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

While it is fine to have a preferred candidate, the issue comes when we get so caught up in the serenade of our favorite politician(s) that we give in to the negativity that powers them, which in a polarized America, often leads to cruel treatment towards others and even cutting off friends and family. According to an article by NPR, many Americans have admitted to cutting off friends and family simply for supporting an opposing candidate…which has unfortunately led to ugly assumptions rather than a civil discussion. Trump supporters are often labeled as racists, homophobes, or misogynists while Harris supporters are seen as overly sensitive or radical.

In reality, though, both ends of the political spectrum make the mistake of making out their views to be morally correct. Rather than looking into the issues their parties cause or being willing to hear out other viewpoints, they hyper-fixate on the wrongdoings and mainstream mentality of the other side. The reason I say “mainstream mentality” is because the internet has grown so accustomed to stereotyping both ends of the political spectrum, that we often view it as reality, even though it's false.

Many studies have found that neither end of the political spectrum is as extreme as its critics perceive. Considering this and the severe impacts that political divisions have had on many's relationships, you'd think at least a few politicians would want to clear the air, right?

Well…not really. It doesn't look good for either side's ballot box if they were to encourage empathy and healthy discussion (after all, without negativity to feed on, they would actually have to do their jobs and promote positive change, a politician's worst nightmare!).

Image Credits: RDNE Stock Project from Pexels

So how do we break free of The Dazzlings--I mean, American politicians' spell?

Well….this is gonna sound very cliche, but we just have to follow the example of the RainBooms! To defeat the evil born from negativity and distrust, we have to use the magic of friendship to bring harmony (which turns out, wasn't just an overused plot device in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic…it was a really good life lesson looking back). While many of us view friendship and unity across political spectrums to be impossible now, we should note that it was possible before and can happen again!

Plus, friends and family fight, and while it's an unsavory inevitability of life that doesn't mean it's not something that can't be worked through. And I know I've been using a lot of references from a franchise that's all about friendship, but the Rainbooms weren't all sunshine and rainbows throughout the entire movie. Right before the finale of the Battle Of The Bands, the girls were arguing and allowing their negativity and repressed emotions to fuel The Dazzlings. It was only when they talked things out that they were not only able to escape but also come up with a successful plan to defeat The Dazzlings!

A big reason I mentioned this is because it isn't completely due to a lack of effort that's preventing many of us from seeing past our differences. Some Americans have tried to avoid discussions about politics with friends and family members to secure relationships. However, suppressing problems doesn't fix anything, it just increases the potential of them getting worse later on!

It may seem scary, but the only thing we can do in this situation is face the matter of our division head-on so we can create a working solution. And what better way to do that than keeping with the MLP theme and using the Elements of Harmony to do so?

Image Credit: 0 Noctis 0 from Wikimedia Commons

For those unfamiliar with MLP lore, the elements of harmony were essentially six core values that each of the Mane Six embodied and allowed the friends to save the day when needed. They are Generosity, Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty, and Magic. In the real world, we can apply these principles like so:

Generosity: This is an element of harmony I haven't seen much of recently. And no, rich donors “generously giving” to causes that benefit themselves and the people they like doesn't count as generosity, it's acting out of self-interest. While money is a huge concern for a lot of us right now, I'd like to emphasize that being generous doesn't necessarily mean giving material or expensive things.

You can give some of your time to help a friend or a neighbor, cook dinner for your family, or listen to someone if they're having a hard time. The point of generosity is to give, so give what you can to make a positive difference!

Honesty: To be honest, the definition of “honesty” seems to have been warped in the social media age, with some people taking being honest as the act of giving unwarranted criticism (which more often than not, is rooted in spite rather than the desire to help). For this reason, I'll be using the Merriam-Webster definition of honesty, which is “adherence to facts: Sincerity” or “fairness and straightforwardness in conduct”. To abide by this principle, it's important to act with integrity and of course, not lie and/or deliberately misinform others.

And yes, be honest when you're having a problem with someone, but don't be a jerk about it. Kindly bring up the subject matter and calmly explain how you feel without attacking the other person (after all, it could simply be a misunderstanding). It not only shows the person you care but it'll help amend further issues.

Laughter: Everyone says “laughter is the best medicine” and I believe it's true when it comes to finding the light in dark situations. Comedy often helps relieve stress and often makes it easier for us to talk about uncomfortable topics. However, given that the goal is to work towards unity, it's important to note that we shouldn't be using comedy as a means to demean others.

There are many genres of comedy after all, let's not feed into the types that reinforce stereotypes and don't encourage empathy or progress toward unity. As a general rule of thumb, if much of the comedy relies on picking on a specific group(s), maybe just watch The Amazing World Of Gumball or something.

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Kindness: While it seems similar to generosity, kindness has more to do with being caring and compassionate as opposed to giving. In my opinion, I'd say that kindness is not just something more people need to possess, but also a trait of a strong person. In today's society, being kind can often seem like fighting a losing battle when the worst people get further ahead than you.

However, you should never let the actions of others influence how you treat other people! A little kindness can make someone's entire day, so even if it seems hard, do what you can for those you love and even strangers you don't know. Hopefully, you'll inspire someone to else do the same and allow the cycle of kindness and growth to continue.

Loyalty: This is another element of harmony that has an altered meaning with America's political climate. More often than not, people take loyalty as being loyal to a political party or candidate, which is far from the truth. Merriam-Webster defines the element as, “a faithfulness that is steadfast in the face of any temptation to renounce, desert, or betray.” Of course, I'll preface this by saying that with situations like abuse or betrayal, you don't necessarily need to fully commit to this principle for those who have harmed you.

However, when it comes to politics, dumping friends and family over a politician (who by the way, does not need your loyalty! Politicians are leaders, they're supposed to do their jobs and help you, not hyper-fixate on their popularity!), that's when you need to work on your loyalty. Just apply the principles above, and remember that no matter what, there are no troubles in your relationships you can't work through. Just please, no more ditching friends and family without civil discussion.

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As for magic, I believe that if each of us were to commit to these principles daily, the magic of friendship and unity could flourish! We're not all going to agree on everything and that's okay. Just remember to be kind, honest (to a helpful extent), and open-minded!

Also…it might be worth unfollowing politicians on their social media accounts. If we collectively unfollow and refuse to feed into the negativity they love to create, the algorithm will deem them irrelevant, and hopefully, just like everything else on the internet, this can all end as a horrible trend we can all collectively agree to never speak about. Who knows, maybe future politicians will learn from their predecessors and learn to embody the elements of harmony and promote peace.