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.

Politics

WELCOME TO THE ZOO | Sanctuary Cities

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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!

Politics

NOBODY’S OPINIONS | Things Kellyanne Conway Will Say in the Next 4 Years

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“No, Donald Trump’s pledge of allegiance to Putin does not disqualify him from being President, and the fact that you would even suggest that, Anderson, is just another example of this media bias that we see all the time now.”

“I think Justin Bieber is the best alternative rock musician, period.”

“No one really cares about Trump’s Muslim registry besides the press, so we’re just going to go ahead and do it.” “Mr. Trump has nominated me today to be his new Secretary of Propaganda. Despite vocal opposition from Marco Rubio, John McCain and Lindsey Graham, we’re pretty sure they’re all going to vote for it anyway.” “General Mattis, execute Executive Order 66.”

“Apple pie is one of the most overrated pies in America. Frankly, it is undeserving of an Oscar and the fact that it is even being considered for one reflects such massive media bias.

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 | Liberal Intolerance at Cornell

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Evelyn Beatrice Hall, in her biography of Voltaire, famously coined the phrase, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” This should be a universally accepted principle at Cornell. But sadly, it is not. On November 30, Cornell Republicans hosted former U.S. Congressman and presidential candidate Rick Santorum. As a Republican known for his unabashed support of social conservatism and of Donald Trump, Santorum was met with fervent protest outside the event, which is allowed per University policy. At the beginning of the event, the president of Cornell Republicans kindly asked that audience members do not interrupt Santorum and defer all questions until the end of the speech.

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.

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.

Politics

OUTSIDE THE MAINSTREAM | No One Should be Shocked

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I have heard a lot of people say that they were shocked by the election results, and I was in a  bit of disbelief myself on Tuesday night. Yet as I heard from speakers at the Friday walkout and from others in my life, no one should be shocked by what happened on Tuesday night. No one should be shocked that a racist or a misogynist or a xenophobic or a bigoted candidate, among other many other things, would be elected president of the United States. Why should we be surprised that an openly racist candidate was elected? We live in country where people can be murdered by the police on the basis of their skin and receive no justice whatsoever.

Culture

THE WORLD AROUND YU | America Under Trumpism

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I grew up in a minority-majority enclave in the Bay Area. My elementary school was made up of 800 students whose demographics were made up of roughly fifty-percent East Asian and fifty-percent South Asian. There, at school, you could probably count the number of white kids on one hand. Almost everyone had immigrant parents and spoke at least two languages. There, you would see not just Christians but Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Atheists, just to name a few, playing together during recess.