A student-operated publication at Santa Rosa Junior College.

The Oak Leaf

A student-operated publication at Santa Rosa Junior College.

The Oak Leaf

A student-operated publication at Santa Rosa Junior College.

The Oak Leaf

America is just another trendy country

If being trendy is your thing, be proud. The U.S. is not shying away from the wave of conservatism and bigotry that’s rising once again all over the world.

 

In the country I am from, Brazil, our population managed to allow an illegal impeachment over unfounded allegations, and replaced a corrupt yet progressive government with Michel Temer, who can’t run for office due to a conviction for violating election laws. Yes, I said corrupt yet progressive. That’s how bad things are over there.

 

But Brazilians shouldn’t worry about not looking cool. In 2018 we’ll get an exciting opportunity to replace Temer with Jair Bolsonaro, someone who’s been outspoken about being pro-torture, compared homosexuality to pedophilia and encourages physical abuse of children if they happen to be gay. He said about congresswoman Maria do Rosario: “She’s not worth raping; she’s very ugly.”

 

Getting Donald Trump elected was what America needed not to fall behind and look out of place among the right-wing governments of Eastern Europe, South Korea and nearly all of South America.

 

What brought us to this point wasn’t just racism or bigotry. It was a very old, overused tactic of strong nationalism, which appeals to workers, and a spiel about anti-corruption. Trump utilized the most democratic force, which is the freedom of speech, against democracy itself. It seems to work like a formula, like a catchy pop tune that sticks in our minds. In Sonoma County we created our own liberal tune, but that’s not the music that’s playing in the rest of the country, and that’s not the music that appeals to shortsighted folks seeking a quick fix to hunger and unemployment.

 

Trump is a snooze fest. He polarizes and simplifies issues. He names reasons why the country is in this state, reasons that have faces and names and that are easier to grasp than, let’s say, a complex conversation regarding colonization. Trump mimics Vladimir Putin, Hugo Chavez, and world leaders from both ends of the spectrum that gained power by inserting fear and panic into people’s minds.

 

I’m guilty of feeling panicked too. In fact, I’ve been feeling panicked ever since I found Trump had been elected. I spoke to my therapist and she said new patients have been contacting her having mental breakdowns. Not surprising, considering that this is precisely how they get to us.

 

People like Trump make us so vulnerable that we cave. We settle for whatever they give us by tiring us out and feeding the bare minimum. We quickly become a fractured, wounded body without a source of energy, without ability to stand together, doing anything to just survive. That’s how the status quo is being maintained all around the world.

 

This is the bleak reality of what’s going on in most countries around the world. But I’ve never been up-to-date or followed current trends. I’m always one step forward, and both my countries can keep trying me. I won’t live in fear, and I won’t allow my soul to be torn apart.

 

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