The New York primary is over, and Bernie Sanders is not among the victorious.
The youth-favorite democrat secured only 42.1 percent of the vote last Tuesday, which provided Hillary Clinton with a sizable win. Many cried foul, as countless voters in Brooklyn and elsewhere were unable to cast their votes due to blockage from the Board of Elections. Young voters are particularly outraged. After all, Bernie is their champion; some of his most vocal support can be found in the 18-to-25 age bracket.
At Sarah Lawrence College, for instance, it's Bernie or die. In the weeks leading up to the New York primary, student committees went canvassing door-to-door (or rather dorm-to-dorm), armed with strong rhetoric and voter registration forms. You couldn't breathe the name of another candidate without drawing salty looks. You still can't. Because around here, Bernie Sanders is a bonafide deity.
I am a liberal, or something pretty close to it. I root for feminism, police reform and cheaper college tuition. I acknowledge privilege and racism in our institutions. Logically, then, Bernie should have my unwavering support. I should worship the very ground he walks on but I don't, and that is because he is a man.
I don't mean that as misandry. A better way to phrase it would be "because he is human." Gender is not the issue here. The issue is delusion on the part of my fellow students who believe that this 74-year0old guy from Vermont is magically going to cure all of our problems simply by getting our votes. In their eyes, Bernie is our salvation. He is incapable of doing or saying anything wrong. Were he to argue tomorrow for the existence of mole-people, youth voters would find a way around it.
Blind worship of this kind is dangerous and will inevitably lead to disappointment. Even if Bernie makes it to the White House, he still has to contend with a Republican Congress. The dreams of free college and free healthcare will remain dreams. Cops will continue to assault and murder unarmed black people. Before long, support will turn to dissent. People will hold Bernie accountable for not living up to the image they themselves have created of him. They'll say they feel betrayed, swindled. They'll finally understand that putting a man — even a fine one like Bernie — in the Oval Office guarantees them nothing. The world is just too damn big.
We need heroes. We need leaders who will inspire us. Especially now, as we sit on the brink of chaos both at home and abroad. Bernie has the power to inspire. We've seen that. But we have to admit that he is mortal. Once we remove the pedestal from under him, managing expectations becomes a whole lot easier. So to my fellow young people, the next time you get swept up in a fervor of Sanders hysteria, try to remind yourself: Bernie is a good man, not a God.
