While the majority of Iowa City is liberal, there is the occasional conservative. The definition of conservative is ‘believing in the value of established and traditional practices in politics and society’.

“Being a conservative in Iowa City is like being a pig in a cattle ranch,” said Dylan Stokes ‘18. “Iowa City is overwhelmingly liberal, and most people don’t take kindly to conservatives in this town.”

When people think Conservative, they generally think of extreme Trump supporters that tend to put people off. In places where the population is largely Liberal, conservative teens especially are afraid to voice their opinion for fear of ridicule- as they often can face political discrimination. As a result of this, certain polls and questionnaires can become skewed. Some students also hold back their opinions for fear of losing valued friendships, as having a different opinion can be called out as bigotry or racism.

“I find that many conservatives are very secretive with their political stances because of backlash by their left-wing classmates. If I express any ideology that differs from that of the left, I receive dirty looks and sometimes even get called things like ‘racist’ or ‘homophobic’ or ‘ignorant,’ even though my opinions don’t lead to me being such, and as they are opinions, they are subjective,” said Ivy Monthei ‘18.

Iowa City is a diverse place, but when you have a different opinion than the majority, it is a struggle no matter where you are or what the different opinion is.

“Liberals are so quick to judge us conservatives, and that’s very unfair. I’ve been called ignorant and racist because I recited statistics. To liberals, facts are racist and people who spew facts are ignorant,” Stokes said.