The Election’s Reflection on America
This week, I learned of something happy and hopeful that came out of this grueling election season. A Canadian Twitter account (named tellamericaitsgreat, @staygr8america) had nothing but positivity and joy to spread to their neighbors to the south; they took it upon themselves to remind America that we are perfectly good and that our somewhat unfriendly presidential race does not define who we are.
In a tumultuous season filled with vicious personal attacks, mean banter, and general unpleasantness, seeing this not-so-little Twitter account spurting forth cheerful messages made me smile. Finally, something to cheer us up as we look at inconsistent polls and angry protestors! The message that our friends to the north were trying to get to wasn’t wrong; America truly is a great country founded upon great values, and it is currently an incredible example of how inclusive and opportunity-filled a country can be.
Yet I believe that they were wrong in one big sense; this election does reflect badly upon the United States.
Yet I believe that they were wrong in one big sense; this election does reflect badly upon the United States. This election does show the world that sometimes, even the leaders of thoughtful democracy can be caught flat-footed. It shows that the American people can be swayed incredibly-so by bigotry and fear. To be perfectly blunt, it shows how we can mess up and put two people whom we really don’t like on the ballot.
American democracy finds it roots in Greece and France; from Cleisthenes to Montesquieu, it has never been one big idea. Instead, our democracy is (for all intents and purposes) just layers upon layers of ideas of different people and groups. Because of this, we have always been a model for the rest of the world. Even more importantly, we have always been the role models for those who want to improve their own democracies.
Does this election correlate to that? Not one bit. Instead of images of incredible, passionate debates, we have weird mud-slinging popularity contests. Instead of reasonable discussion between supporters, we have unruly shouting and yelling. Instead of anticipating, hopeful voters, we have indifferent and begrudging ones.
Sadly, voters have done a poor job of shaping this election. A poll taken during the summer showed that a measly 23 percent of voters were excited for the upcoming election (not to say they weren’t interested—a similar poll showed 65 percent were). This lack of excitement is, to be fair, understandable. Very few people who I have met are adamant about Trump or adamant about Hillary; in fact, most tell me up front that they are only going with the lesser of two evils. That is exactly what a presidential race should NOT boil down to. The two candidates voters select should be qualified, supported and most importantly well liked. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case; 54 percent of voters view Hillary negatively and that 58 percent view Trump negatively.
This all boils down to one big question; how could those two ever make it so far? How could our democracy have fallen short the one time we needed it most? I myself don’t know how to answer this question. It probably has to do with the impulsive nature within all of us—choosing the most appealing candidate at the time without proper research can lead to unwanted decisions and in the long run, unwanted consequences. Or maybe it has to do with smooth talking to further one’s reputation and fear mongering to scare Americans into a vote. Regardless, it’s definitely something not too good. And without any doubt, next time round, voters should be more informed and more knowledgeable instead of going with the candidate who shouts the loudest or whispers the sweetest.