I flew home from Philadelphia last night, along with thousands of other weary Democratic National Convention-attendees. People dragged their Yes We Can signs like kids holding teddy bears, a sort of small comfort in the hellish landscape of Philadelphia International Airport. It didn’t matter who we were backing—we were all ready to be out of there.

Still, physical and mental exhaustion aside, it was a fascinating convention—in stark contrast to the apocalyptic tones of the Republican National Convention, Democratic speakers insist that most things are pretty damn good here in America. We heard from elected officials, celebrities, preachers, and former soldiers, all insisting that the work of President Obama has put the United States in a better position than ever. We saw Michelle Obama call America the “greatest country on Earth” as thousands cheered and stamped. We saw a four-star general marched on stage to bellow about the strength of the American military, declaring with testosterone-fueled fury that our enemies will “fear us.” The crowd even hijacked the ‘USA’ chant. To see such a forceful embrace of nationalism by Democratic voters was… something to behold.

At the same time, Democratic leaders also assert that there are problems—with mass shootings on the rise, racial tensions getting worse, and wealth inequality a constant, who wouldn’t be a little anxious for America’s future? I guess the difference between the two parties is in the approach: while Republicans spent last week insisting that the end times are literally upon us, that the enemy is at the gates, that Donald Trump presents the one and only solution, the mood at the DNC was arguably more productive. There are issues, Democrats tell us, but they are solvable ones. We can stop mass shootings, through thorough background checks on firearm purchases, by rebuilding a strong mental health system in the US. The struggling economy? We’ll move forward with reduced college tuition, refinanced student loans, and a focus on keeping American jobs in America. Terrorism can be solved through responsible foreign intervention, and vigilance at home—but not at the cost of foreign civilian lives, or our own civil liberties. It’s a nice picture, right? All that is required, the Democratic leadership insists, is that we unite around these issues, and use our democratic system to fix what we see wrong.

Trouble is, what I saw at the convention was not unity. There were plenty of cries for being “stronger together,” but these cries were… kind of aggressive for the kind of kumbaya-type message they were pushing. There was a repeated scenario—Bernie supporters would begin yelling, and in response a cohort of Clinton backers would start shrieking “We’re stronger together! Don’t you get it? WE’RE STRONGER TOGETHER!” Like, I don’t care how nice it might sound, getting in someone’s face and insisting that they get along, get in line, work with us goddamn you never really convinces anyone.

More to the point, do Democrats really need unification on the issues anyway? Historically, a group that insists on ideological uniformity is called fascist. Sorry, but think about it. “Sit down, shut up, vote for the right candidate”? Who does that remind you of? Democrats who argue for the suppression of ideological diversity need to realize that they are risking their party being consumed by the same insanity that has taken the Republican party. Something that liberals used to have, but are losing as of late, is an understanding of moral relativism: that people all have different values, that those values are a result of their personal experiences, and that there is room for discussion and discourse. We used to appreciate this.

The woman sitting next to me during Hillary Clinton’s speech on Thursday night had an interesting take on the anti-war protesters yelling during Clinton’s speech. “Throw them out!” she insisted under her breath.

Funny enough, that’s exactly what Trump has yelled in response to protesters at his rallies. Democrats. Guys. We’re electing a president, not a dictator. Is this really what we want to become? A party of ideological conformity? Think about it. More importantly—talk about it.