Edit desk: High school elections

Wascar Ramirez

“It’s like the Republicans are freshmen playing politics.”

I laughed after reading the message from my girlfriend concerning the GOP debate on Feb. 13.

“And the Democrats are seniors,” she continued. “Tired. Salty and tired.”

She had sent me a link to a video clip of insults Donald Trump gave his opponents, particularly Jeb Bush. Despite the humor, it saddened me to realize politics today are nothing but a joke.

Last summer after realizing I would finally be able to vote, I started paying much more attention to the news about the 2016 presidential race. I read article after article looking at which candidate would have my support. I surprised myself doing that considering I had never cared about politics once in my life, and honestly, wasn’t really planning on voting.

Since childhood, I believed that voting was just something that you could get a sticker for, that nothing could truly come from it due to my parents’ consistent complaining that George W. Bush had been elected. Now that I’m older, I’ve realized how important it is for us as citizens to voice our concerns and elect leaders who best represent our interests.

The video my girlfriend showed me is just one of many that can be seen of GOP candidates offending each other, something you don’t really see out of the Democratic candidates. From what I’ve seen, politics are becoming a joke instead of something that needs to be taken seriously.

Kanye West saying that he would run for president in 2020 appears out of place. He’s never held any formal office in his lifetime, giving him no preparation for presidency. Whether or not it’s a publicity stunt, there is no reason for West to run for president. Politics are a completely different field than hip-hop. Politics should be left for those who know how the law works.

Many media outlets also stated that they would treat Trump’s campaign as a publicity stunt or as reality television.

There’s an article in The New York Times dedicated to listing all the insults Trump has given since he decided to run for president. It’s easy to see that he has offended almost everyone. “Dishonest,” “racist,” “disaster” and “worthless” are common adjectives that can be read throughout the New York Times article.

He especially attacks media who don’t support him. In response to an article about him by The Huffington Post, Trump tweeted, “They only write bad stories about me!” Another of his tweets directed at The New York Times says that the publication “allows dishonest writers to totally fabricate stories.”

Knowing this, I began to wonder: Why do people support Trump? He offends people left and right, and I honestly doubt he would make a great leader. I feel as if he would cause much more harm than good.

If people rally behind the ridiculous statements made by this man, what does that say of our society? That despite having numerous social rights movements, we can’t see a person for who they are, but group everyone together based off a small section of their identity.

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” said Trump when announcing his candidacy. “They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”

I’m not Mexican. I’m Dominican and Salvadoran, but his comments highly offended me. How can someone say that all Mexicans — or perhaps all Hispanics since there are quite a few people that call every Hispanic a Mexican regardless of where they’re from — are criminals that rape and pedal drugs?

I’m Hispanic. Does that mean I’m a rapist and a criminal? Neither I, nor any other person, should be judged solely for our ethnicity or any other part of who we are.

When he was told of two supporters who beat a homeless Hispanic man, Trump simply stated that his followers are passionate. Someone who promotes racism and violence should not be allowed to become president, especially of a nation that’s as diverse as ours. It’s absurd that he’s the front-runner for the Republican nomination.

With elections in November, I hope someone who can truly help our country gets elected. Because if not, I’m not sure what will become of our society.

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Wascar Ramirez, ’19, is an assistant lifestyle editor for The Brown and White. He can be reached at [email protected].