"You don't make America great again by getting rid of everything that made America great."
I pulled this statement straight from Hillary Clinton's mouth, which she spoke in her response to being asked, "Is Donald Trump a racist?" I won't get into the answer to that question, but I will get into a few thoughts that her response sparked in my usually non-political mind.
Although I'm not a huge fan of Hillary, nor am I a fanatic of politics altogether, this upcoming election has made me press play on every Facebook video I see in relation to it. I've never been intrigued by the debates of this candidate over that one because I've never felt how it was going to affect me directly. But now with my being of age to vote and with these selections we've been given, I have found a concern for how the communities and people around me will be affected. So, I feel I should input my voice just a little. With that, I want to point out these five brief thoughts and opinions that I've felt with this year's election, if that's what you can even call this mess.
1. The fact that Trump could win based solely on the "fear" of a woman holding a seat of such power.
I'm hoping my statement is an exaggeration, but with the way masculinity has controlled our country thus far I wouldn't second guess it. Too many people in this country would rather see a man living in the White House simply because they can't bare the thought of a woman taking the presidential throne. So to think that there is even a percentage of our population that will use gender as their deciding factor is something to be afraid of. A woman, with the right experiences and qualifications, deserves the equal chance to win your vote just as any man does.
2. MPR; we've all forgotten what the R stands for.
Don't worry, let me remind you; Money, Power, and RESPECT. As a whole, this country has let money and power, in this election (and in everything else), completely drive it out of control. To elect a man who lacks respect for anything or anyone different than him is beyond me. A man who is running to live in a house built by slaves, but the same man who wants to erase our history and population of immigrants, enclosing our diversity behind a wall, in simple terms, is nonsense! And to elect such a man (or woman) as our president, you tell me, where is the respect for ourselves, for our country, and for our people? Let us not allow one man's riches to rob or blind us of all the greatness that we have already become.
3. Rule of thumb, never bash others to boost yourself up. *cough cough, Trump*
In college, I have taken a few corresponding courses that relate to advertising and public relations. In these courses, one thing we discussed was the unwritten rule that bashing another product in your own brand's advertisement is NOT a good strategy. And every time I watch or hear Trump speak, I compare him to a horribly written commercial where they have nothing unique to offer of themselves so instead they talk down the competitor. All I have to say about this is, don't let Trump's ability to "roast" others distract you from his own label of unqualified ingredients.
4. Ignorance is bliss, at least that's what Hillary wants us to believe.
As I said earlier, I am not a huge fan of Hillary but I am also not here to only throw shots at Trump, so this number is here to take a perspective on Hillary's recently publicized emails. Amongst this pile of controversy, it was stated that Hillary aimed to "achieve consistency and the best way to do that is to keep the people ignorant." My first opinion is that consistency is good in ways but is not key, this country needs positive change before it can be consistent. And second, a president that hopes for ignorance among our people is not the kind of leader that steals my vote. Knowledge is power, and consistency is not for me.
5. America - Single and ready to mingle!
"I don't think America should elect any president in 2016. We need to be single for a while". This is something I saw scrolling on Facebook with the many other jokes being made about this upcoming presidential election, so I thought it made a good finish to my rant. I also think many of us would agree that this running between Trump, Hillary, and Bernie is one that will leave us drained out, broke, and potentially heartbroken by the end. It may even leave us missing our most recent ex (The Obama family). So in my opinion, I think we need to stay single for a while and explore some better options before settling down. We need some time to find ourselves again and remember why we're ALREADY GREAT! Just a thought.
I hope my comments were able to spark a voice inside of you, because this election is one that can't afford to happen without full participation from our people. We all have an opinion, a belief, and a voice ... And your vote is your voice, so speak up.
