This ‘Love Is Blind’ Break-Up Has Left The Internet Divided

Can you love someone with opposing political and world views? If Love is Blind season 8 contestant Sara Carton is to be believed, the answer is a firm “No!”.

The Internet was left divided when Sara decided to break off her wedding with fellow contestant Ben Mezzenga, leaving him at the altar in the season finale. In the last few moments before the couple was supposed to tie the knot, Sara conveyed to Ben that their values didn’t align.

“I love you so much, but I’ve always wanted a partner to be on the same wavelength,” Carton said to Mezzenga. “I know that the connection we have is so real, and my heart is there. But we talked about a lot of the values I hold so close to my heart. Making this decision, my mind is telling me I can’t,” she went on to tell him.

Love Is Blind promotes itself as a social experiment where contestants get engaged before meeting each other in the pursuit of love. The show aims to put couples together without them ever meeting each other. The finale of the show leads up to a wedding, and of course, both parties involved have to make a final decision about taking their relationship forward.

Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota (the same city where George Floyd was murdered by a white police officer), Sara recalled having a conversation with Ben about the Black Lives Matter movement. “I’m no expert, but like when I asked him about it, he was like, ‘I guess I never really thought too much about it,” she said. “That affected me. Especially in our own city. How could you not?”

Though Sara and Ben did continue seeing each other for a while after breaking off the wedding (outside of the show), this exchange between the two got many people talking. “Let’s find him a nice, conservative 20-something girl. He’ll look back and laugh at this,” posted Conservative Right Wing news channel Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham in an X post. “He dodged a bullet,” said Fox News’s Tomi Lahren in agreement.

Many others came to Sara’s defence and shared their views on the situation. “And people say that politics doesn’t matter. It’s definitely a choice to have. As an oncology nurse, one of your top five characteristics is compassion and empathy for others…. She completely did the right thing!” Twitter user @jarsofalmonds reposted the viral clip, sharing their opinion. “Having a partner who's right wing oriented or comes off as ‘non political’ in this current climate is a big no, I need you to have a heart? Basic morals, ethics and critically-thinking-abled-brain,” said @choisansoftie.

The political gender gap is growing and impacting the dating scene more than ever right now. In my opinion, it’s difficult to co-exist together romantically or in a marriage with opposing political views. Even more so if one party doesn’t acknowledge problematic current affairs. Carton did the best she could in conveying what she stands for in a kind manner, and if anything, that should be appreciated.