“Some kid came dressed in a goddamn MAGA HAT AND HAD A MAGA FLAG FOR A CAPE. HE CALLED HIMSELF MAGAMAN.”

I'm a Costa Rican-American writer covering all the impolite dinner party topics — religion, politics, witches, identity, Da Pope, and the internet.

Content warning: Discussions of inappropriate conduct by an adult toward minors, including sexual comments.

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

—Anonymous, 17, Male, High school junior, Democrat, Chicago, Illinois

—Anonymous, 16, Female, High school sophomore, Democrat, California

"The show choir has multiple transgender students, and while the choir program and the teacher are overwhelmingly accepting, there are some annoying MAGA girls who make life difficult. As for regular classes, there is one boy who is notorious for his MAGA views. Everyone hates that kid. He cheated on an important paper using ChatGPT, which was supposed to get him kicked out of the program, but mommy and daddy are besties with the principal, so he got to stay. 

My daughter is stuck in a group project with him right now. He doesn't do the work and is completely useless. It's so bad that the staff is known for strategically moving him around groups because he's that hated. He got a D on an assignment for turning the entire thing into a weird MAGA political rant. The girls in his group project got their revenge, though — they overruled him, and now he's stuck working on a presentation about feminism."

"I've known some of them since we were babies. Even though we live in Texas, I'm part of what you would call 'the weird kids' group, AKA the gays, the nerdy, etc. My friends and I are constantly being bullied for being who we wanna be. We've had things thrown at us — pencils, erasers, paper balls. And the nasty comments they make are just so gross."

—Anonymous, 14, Demiboy, Seventh grade, Republican, Texas

"He literally FLAT OUT refused to do it, even when our teacher spoke to him. This was a couple of months ago, and now with all the MAGA people turning against their cult, he STILL hasn't changed his views or even tried to understand different viewpoints. I guess it just goes to show how MAGA is a literal cult and their followers are stupid and can't see reason. He's harmless, though, and we all have a good time of ragebaiting him when he mouths off on some BS."

—Anonymous, 14, Non-binary, Not political in the typical sense (I judge the flaws of all parties equally), California

"Not everyone is like that, but the lack of awareness in some people is stupefying. And it tends to be people with deep southern roots or the richer kids. I hope they gain perspective, but a large group of people can't be bothered to think of others' circumstances."

—Anonymous, Highschooler, I lean liberal

—Anonymous, High school sophomore, Female

—Anonymous, 27, Female, Teacher, Democrat, Iowa

—Anonymous, 24, Male, Liberal, New York, but went to school in Texas

—Anonymous, 38, Female, Staff, Democrat, Nebraska

—Anonymous, 17, Female, High school senior, Independent, Pennsylvania

"I respectfully disagreed and showed him credible evidence proving that his statistic was incorrect. He dismissed it as fake when he could not find anything supporting his claim. He also said that he and his dad watch the news together and that they know ICE only detains criminals. It is so sad to see how widespread misinformation has become among people my age, especially when it is reinforced by parents pushing strong political views onto their children."

—Anonymous, 17, Male, High school senior, Liberal, Texas

—Anonymous, 16, Female, High school sophomore, San Francisco, California

—Anonymous, 12, Female, Sixth grade, Leftist, Alberta, Canada

—Anonymous, 25, Female, Second-year master's student, Green Party, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 (HOPE), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.If you are concerned that a child is experiencing or may be in danger of abuse, you can call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (4.A.CHILD); service can be provided in over 140 languages.