publicmusings-blog

[publicmusings-blog]

Shot Dead

Another shooting happened at the Ft. Lauderdale airport today. As I read the article briefings, I saw a phrase that has always taken me aback: “shot dead”. Compared to the sophisticated contextual writing in these articles, this phrase seems so out of place; these two one-syllable words seem too blunt and short to adequately and respectfully describe the monumental loss of life. These words sound like they are meant to describe the death of some random, unimportant townsman. “Shot dead” embodies all of the practicality and none of the sensitivity. Perhaps it is the job of these reporters use blunt and to the point phrases - but I am still shaken every time I read it.

May those who lose their lives to acts of violence rest in peace. 

[publicmusings-blog]

Trump Confusion

The election still hasn’t sunk in for me yet. Though I acknowledge the results, the circumstances that led to his win are still unfathomable. 

Yesterday, I went in to talk to a previous high school teacher about life, and we discussed the election. The following are some of the topics that came up: I have never felt so disconnected from this country and its citizens. The fact that Trump’s win was such a surprise for the entire country speaks volumes to how disconnectedly liberal the media is. I find that I trust major news sources less and less… and this further discourages me from investing time into being informed, and politics in general. 

The most disappointing part of Trump’s election is the validation of hate rhetoric and action. I told my teacher how I couldn’t fathom how people could overlook what I find to be grievous transgressions. I asked how their experiences could be so different from mine, so divergent, that they would still think it is a good idea to vote for him. To me, to vote for someone who is sexist, or racist, or anti-immigration (or in this case, all of the above) because you (as a minority) believe that their policies will benefit you… does make sense. These Trumpist views will inform his policies, and implicitly disadvantage you.

The voters that voted for him

My teacher said that the people who work in hard labor, who want things to go back to the way they were (such as Reagan Democrats) are tired of working harder than ever and seeing no returns - that’s why they want change. These voters believe that Trump will give them their old jobs back. 

To this, I say: what?? The reason that these jobs are gone is because the nature of the economy has changed: as technology advances and society becomes more reliant on it, people will need more advanced or technical degrees to thrive. Trump can’t change this. The solution - unfortunately - may be to give these voters a complementary training. The jobs they lament do not exist anymore. These voters weren’t necessarily against Hilary, but for dramatic change. But - why do these voters see Trump as the answer? My teacher has said that perhaps my education has informed my divergent perspective. This may have implications but I haven’t exactly thought them through yet… perhaps more on that later.

The voters that I’ve personally talked to are rich Republicans who do not want their income to be taxed. They say that they have earned money, and don’t believe that the government would put it to good use. One example is the welfare program. They believe that America’s poor are abusing the welfare system, and subsequently, their hard earned money. 

The majority of these Republicans that I’ve met are extremely wealthy (whether they earned their wealth or were born into it), and seem quite disconnected from the struggles of America’s poor. So I have less understanding of their perspective. 

Problems with my political experience

I’ve grown up in an extremely liberal city and currently attend a liberal college in a liberal city in a liberal state. My political experience is limited to these liberal bubbles, where contrary opinions are smacked down, and the everyone has the same opinions. Sanely bipartisan discourse is hard to find. Maybe this speaks to how people born in liberal or conservative bubbles and have experiences with that only reinforce their political philosophy, and make it difficult to see how others may perceive issues differently.

Relatedly, I think this political bubble is also created by internet, tailed news, and social media: if google or Facebook sees that you like liberal posts, they will filter the news so that you see content that you “like” - which tends to be from your same perspective. Here is a link to what kind of person google sees you as, the topics they think you like and consequently, how they tailor your content.

My apathy, combined with the liberal bubble, have lead me to become extremely ignorant of the struggles and perspectives of those different from mine.

Moving forward…

So, I invite those who voted for Trump to clarify their background and reasons for their decisions. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. This election brings forth issues not dissimilar to those of Abe’s time: state’s rights versus federal rights. Hopefully we can learn something from history in the coming years by dispelling the culture of hate with empathy and understanding. Just as importantly, I hope that we will not become paralyzed by fear - if we are, Trump has effectively silenced our dreams, our aspirations, our voices, our struggle.

If you are having a hard time with this election like me, here are some links that personally made me feel a bit better: Obama’s post election day speech Hillary’s Children’s Defense Fund speech Also, J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive made me feel better as well.

Edit: I realize that I posted this on a liberal platform, and that it may not create bipartisan discourse. What are some other platforms where such discourse can occur?