I gotta say. All of this political talk has really taken a toll on me emotionally lately. I try to stay away from it for my own well-being, but it always finds me, either through high school discussion or the front page of every news site. It's not so much the petty bickering and division of parties, but the fact that Donald Drumpf is doing as well as he is.
It speaks volumes about American society when you consider that this joker is on track to be the presidential nominee. Here, we have a populous that is so deathly afraid of immigration, terrorism, and their own government that they are willing to put this guy in power.
This is the same guy, mind you, that has:
Targeted women with a slew of various insults.
https://news.vice.com/article/women-you-have-to-treat-them-like-shit-new-ad-highlights-trumps-statements-on-womenCalled the majority of Mexican immigrants criminals, drug dealers, and rapists.
Claimed that vaccinations cause autism.
Held wildly inconsistent political views.
http://www.ontheissues.org/Donald_Trump.htmStated that he would consider appointing Supreme Court judges to overturn the gay marriage ruling.
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/02/donald-trump-says-hell-overturn-same-sex-marriage-decision-if-elected/Made fun of a reporter with a muscle disorder.
Dismissed global warming as a hoax multiple times. (Just check his Twitter)
Threatened to sue media outlets who portray him negatively (good luck).
http://mediamatters.org/video/2016/02/26/donald-trump-promises-to-sue-the-media-for-nega/208842Said that we need to take out ISIS members' families (Which is most definitely a war crime).
http://news.yahoo.com/trump-isis-families-145744666.htmlDefended his penis size on national television.
(The maximum amount of URL's allowed is 5. I linked the most pressing articles, but you'll have to look up the others to see what I'm talking about.)
But, oh no, it's fine. Because he tells it like it is, and that can only be good, right? Meanwhile, Obama gets in trouble for saying the N word in the context of addressing racism.
Just let the gravity of the situation set in for a moment. If this man gets elected, he will have access to the nuclear codes, he will be able to declare war, mobilize armies, and send 21 year old "adults" off to die. The man is clearly not fit to be president, and coming to this conclusion should have been the easiest political decision for Americans to make. But the fact that so many people are voting for him says something about the general public as well a their view of the government.
Public opinion of the United States government is at an all time low. Citizens know that Congress is ineffective. People know that American legislature acts in their own best interest rather than that of the people. People know that their privacy is at risk. These are all issues that Drumpf exposes, but never offers any real solutions to.
People are so sick of the political establishment, that they are willing to vote for ANYONE outside of it. I asked a friend of mine why he is voting for Drumpf and he responded with "The political system is a mess. The bi-partisan system is terrible. Things are only getting worse and the foundation for government needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. I'm convinced that if he becomes president, then the entire system will crumble under his authority. And I'm willing to take that risk if it means building a better system down the road."
Keep in mind that this is coming from a fellow 18 year old. I'm cynical when it comes to the government, just like any other 18 year old, but I don't know if I'm so inclined that I would intentionally put the worst choice for president in power. I've never seen such a push for change as the complete destruction of organized politics.
It is not difficult to find dirt on Drumpf, nor is it to conclude that he would make a terrible president. But the truth is that he simply doesn't care. Nothing sticks to this guy because he doesn't get embarrassed. You can come at him with all the insults and evidence of his faults that you like, and he'll just stand behind it and shout you down with "Remember how much everything sucks! I'm gonna make it great again!"
I honestly thought that the general public was better than this. What this election has told me is that I'm obviously giving people way too much credit. I mean, we as a society have our faults and we have a long way to go, but I would like to think that we are making progress. I can only view his election as 3 steps back for society, something that I would not expect from a generally up-hill progression of knowledge and tolerance.
When I first heard about his candidacy, I thought it was no more than a publicity stunt (which it very well may have been). I looked at this, along with many others, and thought "What a joke. Who would vote for this guy?" Apparently, a LOT of people. This surprised me, especially on Super Tuesday, because I thought we were all in agreement on how terrible Drumpf is.
And that misconception is my own fault. When you live in a specific area, go to a specific school, associate with a specific group of people, and browse a specific corner of the internet, it is easy to draw a sort of false political consensus. It is easy to over-assume how "on the same page" everyone is.
There are those out there, much like my friend, who clearly know he is terrible, but are still voting for him. Or there's those that are voting for him purely for shits and giggles, not realizing the impact that they are having by doing this. However, I would say that they are in the minority. The vast majority of people (who I obviously have yet to meet) seem to genuinely believe that he would make a great president, and will defend that belief to their very core. And that might just be the single, biggest blow to my faith in people that I have ever experienced.
So, yeah. That's why this is all making me so sad.
There is only one God, and his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: Not today.