On election day, Americans ask: is democracy really worth it?
(11/08/16 6:29pm)
As election night falls upon us, many Americans are asking themselves: is democracy actually worth it?
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As election night falls upon us, many Americans are asking themselves: is democracy actually worth it?
Last April, I, like most other AU students, was in the thick of second semester and gearing up for final exams. I was not getting enough sleep and spent long hours in the library. The last thing I needed was to get sick, but as life tends to go, that is exactly what happened. I started to notice my eyes becoming bloodshot and my nose running constantly throughout the day and night. Around the third day of feeling sick, I woke up and looked in the mirror to see my left eye completely red and swollen. I knew it was time to see a doctor, so I paid a visit to the AU Health Center. There, I was told I had conjunctivitis and was prescribed an antibiotic.
Rejoice! America is on track to break the highest glass ceiling in our generation’s lifetime. Soon, young ladies across our nation will finally have a role model who has reached the highest office in all the land. It’s fantastic that we’ve finally come to a point in our country where voters realize that women are just as fit to be president as men. We will elect a female president not because we are in favor of the idea of having a female president, but because that female is a candidate that shares our vision for America’s future, and because we can trust her to carry out that vision.
My oversized flannel is among my most prized possessions. It’s comfortable, matches my style and comes with the bragging rights of costing only $4. Like much of my wardrobe it comes from Goodwill. By shopping at thrift stores, I could enjoy the bragging rights of not shopping at “mainstream” stores while also keeping my pockets comfortably lined with my mother’s money.
It is that time of year where you find yourself leaving the library at 2AM. You finished your ever mounting pile of homework and studying and just look forward to sleep. But one thing that lies between you getting from the library to your bed, whether you are on or off campus, is the trip back home. Do you feel safe walking back to your place?
Sitting on my couch Friday afternoon, I got the flurry of the usual alerts from CNN, Fox, etc. that arrive when Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says or does something outrageous.
When I heard about the video regarding Trump’s “locker room talk” and listened to him speak so nonchalantly about violent and life-altering acts committed against women, I sat on my bed and I cried. When I refreshed my newsfeed and was notified of yet another male Republican politician disavowing Trump, I closed my laptop and felt a deep sense of sadness wash over my heart and settle into my bones. This time, Trump’s bigotry had apparently ruffled too many feathers. Certain men and women could now relate because everyone knows a woman and no one would want to disrespect their own wife or daughter. However, this same outrage was not afforded to Muslim people or black people or immigrants or disabled people or any other person that wasn’t white or who apparently was not present in the life of a male Republican. As I sat in my bed and contemplated the end of humanity, I realized that this fight was not over.
When I was a little girl, the one thing I always knew I wanted to be when I grew up was a veterinarian. I loved animals so dearly that I couldn’t see myself being quite as happy doing anything else. I especially loved wild animals and coveted my National Geographic Kids subscription my parents had purchased for me. My biggest role model was Jane Goodall, a woman I considered extremely brave and fiercely intelligent. I looked at her like a great pioneer for immersing herself completely in the wild to study chimpanzees, and saw myself in the way she cared so deeply for the animals and did not allow criticism to stop her from doing her work.
You are trying to finish writing a cover letter for an internship application, taking notes during a lecture or writing a paper for your World Politics course, when suddenly the dreaded notification flashes across your laptop's screen warning you of your computer’s dangerously low battery. You look around, are there any plug outlets at your desk? No.
Hillary Clinton must hold a news conference, and fast. The Democratic nominee for President has not made herself available to the general press corps covering her since December of last year. For a person who hits Donald Trump hard for his nontraditional interactions with the press and has called him unfit for office, shutting out the press does not bode well for her.
When I first arrived at AU and took my seat on the first day of class, I was reminded of the cardinal rule of classroom discussion: in here, we debate politics, not people. Of course, this principle was rarely put into practice, as I watched rivalries develop both inside and outside of the classroom. Debates became personal and it seemed as though there was no divide between the two realms of discussion. It seemed as though your political affiliation was expected in the same breath as your name.
As we approach the start of another school year, it is hard to keep our expectations from growing about how we will make this year better than the last, and how we will succeed at the goals we’ve been harboring but have not yet reached. I myself am very familiar with the pattern of goal setting whenever a new chapter in life begins (a new year, a new season, a new month).
I recently watched Jimmy Fallon joke about lifting a ceremonial giant mosquito net covering all of Rio during the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. He said, “the Olympics will be simultaneously broadcast on NBC and WebMD.” Quite a bit of speculation has been raised about the safety of hosting the Games in Rio due to the Zika virus, which has rocked Brazil since early 2015. Are these fears well based in research?
I have always hated the phrase “political correctness,” not because of the values and ideas for which it stands, but because of the negative connotation that has been unrightfully inserted into its foundation. This phrase has come to imply that sensitivity surrounding words is a political statement shrouded in weakness rather than the act of recognizing, respecting and humanizing people - people whose existences are often overlooked and who are all too often told that they hold no value socially, politically or economically.
Voting has always been considered one of the most valuable and important parts of the American system of government. Over history, we have consistently expanded the right to vote to more citizens who had their voices muffled. In modern times, however, there are two forces in particular working against the goal of having the highest possible voter participation. Nearly half of the states have restrictive voter ID laws that aim to combat a problem that doesn’t exist to the degree the laws would have you believe. In addition, voter registration has been stagnant and many groups, especially young people, simply don’t register anymore. With one of the most divisive elections in recent history coming in just about 100 days, America needs a voting kick.
For the next month, the mind of the political class will not be on the most major legislative issues facing the United States, but rather Republicans and Democrats alike are embarking on a seven-week recess for the summer and party conventions. Seven weeks will go by without resolutions to important policy questions posed by leaders from across the government. The American people should be outraged that their elected officials are taking this vacation to go play politics without first carrying out their duties as public servants.
Since before my first awkward prepubescent moment I have felt as though I had something to prove. This feeling of inferiority intensified each time that I was told that I couldn’t do certain tasks. Walking down the street by myself or pumping my own gas at night was reserved for males, because things were just “different for girls.”
I love cooking.
TW: This article contains links to disturbing imagery that may be harmful to you.
"Clearly, this was not just an attack on the LGBT community in Orlando, Florida, but an attack on America. Together, our nation must stand united against terror and hatred, and not permit prejudice, violence and fear to have the upper hand over the American ideals of compassion, liberty and freedom." These words were from U.S. Representative Corrine Brown of Florida following the Orlando massacre on June 12.
Solutions by The State News