Politics

What I’m Watching to Take My Mind Off This Election

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By Harry Ducrepin 

The presidential election is coming up in a few days and thinking about the consequences of America’s choice next Tuesday is both devastating and overwhelming. I’ve spent the past week or so trying to clear my head of the realization of what could soon become reality. So, I’ve been watching a lot of TV and really just engaging in any activity that can take my mind off of it. Don’t get me wrong: I am in no way ignoring or not taking part in this election, as that’s simply not an option for me.  I don’t have the privilege to absolve myself from this election and any associated political discussions, given that my rights and the rights of my loved ones are on the line. All I can do is try and temporarily shield myself from the reality of this election’s outcome through indulging in whatever activities I enjoy.

Life

Ruminations | Eating Is An Election

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‘Tis the season of campaign ads, mudslinging, robocalls, selfies of people with their “I Voted” stickers, and all of those other wonderful things that go along with election season. Let us all be grateful now that the ballots have been cast, and it’s over: our social media feeds can live in peace, for a moment. Surely, we have all been harassed to send in our absentee ballots, find our voting locations, and exercise the right that we have been given. I know some of my friends are sick and tired of hearing my not-so-subtle reminders that elections are important. Hopefully, before you vote in any election, you take the time to research the candidates, their background, and their qualifications.

Politics

WELCOME TO THE ZOO | The Electoral College

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With an open mind and two sides of the story, you’re bound to learn something new. Welcome to the zoo! This is a blog where both the Republican and Democratic viewpoints are represented. The blog is not meant to sway you either way necessarily, just to present both sides of the story. You may not agree with the whole article, but hey, you’re likely to agree with half!

Culture

ARRAY | LOOKING PAST THE PRESIDENCY

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We’ve all heard stories from our friends and family members about their reactions to Donald Trump’s election. Election Night 2016 has already, in our imaginations, reached the status of a defining cultural event, a “where were you when such-and-such happened” question along the lines of “Where were you when Kennedy was shot?” or “Where were you on 9/11?” or “Where were you when Obama was elected president?” These are the types of questions by which we measure our personal histories. I was in my dorm; after shelling out ten or so dollars to view Stephen Colbert’s broadcast on Showtime, I watched as the comedian failed to find anything witty to say as the results poured in. My own emotions before and after Trump’s declared victory were the same: frustration, distaste and a mild indifference towards the election. Some people cried, a few people in the suite next to me were rejoicing, but there was little else anyone could say or do.

Culture

ON MY MIND | What We Saw from the People’s Streets: Scenes from #DisruptJ20 in Washington, D.C.

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TW: Trump, misogyny, racism

We wake up at 9 am and immediately check Twitter for news of the day’s first protests. Blockades have already gone up at key entrance points around the city; Black Lives Matter, NoDAPL and other organizers have chained themselves to each other and to the ground. We sip coffee and don dark colors. We take our time putting the final touches on makeshift cardboard signs with sharpies. I debate over whether I should bring gloves or not.

Politics

KRAVITZ’S KORNER | Evaluating A Trump Presidency

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Ever since Donald Trump’s stunning Electoral College victory, there has been a lot of talk about what Trump will do as president. A lot of people believe that his presidency will destroy America and that the world will descend into chaos under his watch. However, few have taken a sober look at what Trump can actually do as president. Upon closely inspecting his plans for the country, it becomes apparent that his presidency might yield positive results. Potential positives:

Reducing Inner-City Crime

As the so-called “law-and-order candidate,” Trump plans to increase funds for programs that support law enforcement efforts to prevent crime, drug use and violence.

Culture

De/Constructing America: Part 1

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By Amanda Xu and Jeremiah Kim

Amanda:

For many Americans, we can trace the origins of our family tree to an immigrant story. One of hardship, sacrifice, and — for the lucky few — bittersweet triumph over circumstances. If our nation is shaped by diversity, how have we ended up in such a problematic time marked by extreme divisiveness and inequality? We may never know where the origin of our racism and systematic disadvantage…

Jk it’s slavery. Jk again (kind of) — the relationship between race and disadvantage is extremely complex because the tentacles of systematic disadvantage extend far beyond individual cases.

Politics

WHITE KNUCKLES | Personal&Political

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It takes a long time to feel at home in another country. It takes mispronunciations, catching up on a lot of pop culture to understand the references, adapting to a different kind of humor, eating unfamiliar food and walking other roads. It takes a family in both countries, whether tied by blood or by adventures and bad days at work and difficult prelims and the question of what to do next. It takes a long time, and it happens gradually; you only realize it when it’s already happened, its making slips away in days and seasons. To me, it’s happened.

Politics

KYLIE’S ROOM | Where Do We Go From Here?

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“How do we move forward?” This is a question I have asked myself every day since last Tuesday. In the hours following the election, my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds were in uproar. Questions like “How did this happen?” and “Who voted for him?” covered my newsfeed. Seemingly everyone had banded together in reaction to the election results. In the days following the election on the web and on campus, people shared their fears, their qualms and their shock at what had happened.

Politics

NOBODY’S OPINIONS | Fallout

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In the wake of this week’s election results (and it really does seem like a literal wake), the American people experience at this moment an unprecedented and unsettling division. There are calls for revolution and for resolution, for peaceful protest and property damage, for faithless electors and for faith in the decision made by the citizens of our great nation. These are indeed trying times, when no one knows the truth from lies. This Tuesday, I too was shocked and uncomprehending, but it is important that as we move forward we create a compelling narrative to explain all that has happened since the cycle began in 2015. This means addressing all of the arguments circulating on social media, and that is what I will do here.