It’s time to move past the two-party system. 

November comes around and what were once friendships and communities are suddenly split by insurmountable chasms separating the United States along partisan lines. Gone are the days of compromise and respectful disagreement; in this distinctive November sociopolitical climate, there is only space for right or wrong, good or evil, blue or red. We ditch the values of our country — the free exchange of opinions, the importance of dissenting voices to the marketplace of ideas and the acceptance of all people for who they are, not who they voted for.

In their campaigns for our support, each candidate necessarily claims the other side is completely flawed and that their own model is a shining example for the rest of the world. Debates have devolved into comebacks and sordid retorts aimed more at flashy headlines than genuine persuasion. Social media becomes an echo chamber where the feed provides us each with a curated selection of only the opinions with which we agree. 

But in a true democracy, two entities should not be able to dominate our support. They do not provide for the full needs of our society. Those of us who refuse to submit to this two-school tyranny know the truth: the moral choice isn’t Yale blue and it certainly isn’t Harvard crimson.

At this year’s Game, I’ll be walking the streets of Cambridge sporting not Yale’s own blue, but a more lionlike lighter hue. The only proper choice to protest the grotesque duopoly of school spirit of the conformist H and Y is to support the third party: Columbia.

In reality, Yale and Harvard have more in common than they care to admit. In May, Harvard administrators said Harvard would refrain from making controversial statements about matters of public policy. In October, Yale instituted a broad policy on its “institutional voice” under which Yale leaders are advised not to issue statements on issues of public importance. 

Yale professes its mission to be to “improve the world today and for future generations through outstanding research and scholarship, education, preservation and practice.” Harvard in turn says it aims to “educate the citizens and citizen-leaders for our society.” Yale’s motto is “lux et veritas,” and Harvard’s is “veritas.” Now, I should point out that veritas alone without lux is quite meaningless, hence why revealing the truth is also “to bring light to,” but that’s beside the point.

The important note here is that these universities, however different in rhetoric, are similar in substance. To support one or the other does not constitute an exceptional difference in position. More importantly, the choice of one or the other is insignificant in impact.

That’s because it is uncontested that neither Cambridge nor New Haven are going to flip on Nov. 23; both are crimson and blue strongholds, respectively, so adding one more blue tick to the Yalie masses is just throwing away my voice and the power of my rights. 

Therefore, to arrive in Columbia’s shade of blue is my moral prerogative to protest the inadequacies of our current system and take a real stance, rather than following the beaten path and choosing between an antiquated, ineffective binary.

To don the classic Bulldog azure is to become but a tiny flag in a vast ocean of robots and mindless followers. To vocalize my lion pride is to show the world that we — me, myself and seven people who liked my Instagram infographic on the matter  — simply will not stand for a system that forces us to choose between two identical options. This Saturday, I will make sure to exercise my right of choice and of support to its fullest extent, speaking my truth and thus empowering my civic participation more than the sheep in dark blue or red crimson. This Saturday, mark my words: you will hear the lion’s roar. 

And for everyone so graciously pointing out that Columbia won’t even be competing in the football game on Nov. 23, and therefore cannot even hope to win because they are just not in the competition, here’s what I have to say: not everything is about immediate results. I support Columbia today with a vision for a future tomorrow where Columbia will be in contention at the Harvard vs. Yale game. 

Because no, it doesn’t matter that football is a game that has been constructed in this country largely around two teams, and that the entire country sees The Game as an event involving two teams, and that Columbia isn’t particularly amazing at football in the first place. All Columbia needs is 5 percent of us to support them this year to receive federal funding, and that way next year they can again not compete, but this time with taxpayer dollars!

MANU BOSTEELS is a first year in Pauli Murray. He can be reached at manu.bosteels@yale.edu.