At noon on Friday, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the forty fifth President of the United States amidst much controversy. Might I say that we only care about who is performing at it because of how the “fake news” before it was called “fake news” (though it isn’t “fake news” but highly sensationalized facts) attempted to attribute a certain degree of symbolism to how Obama carried out his? Might I say that libertarians are consistently in opposition to anybody who’s in power, and that’s the group that you should worry about, yet in a sense, we need them? Might I say that the Left casually ignores the political diversity of the black community? I know some of the women that marched in Philly, and might even know some that will march on Washington. It is a shame that the pro- life feminists got kicked out of the march on Washington. I do not understand how women support the guy, much less women with physical disabilities finding it in their conscience to support him.
One thing I do understand- there were rumblings in the Clinton years, but especially since the Bush years, it has become a thing in the forefront of the cultural consciousness to be critical of religion by way of scholars on the religious left building a bridge with science. While we cannot afford to go backward on our research or our improving of the environment (let’s include the social environment in that), religion still has its value- I’m not so much talking about a moral or ethical system here as I am talking about something that can bring people together and can be emotionally supportive. So religion is still a key part of the social environment.
Recently I have seen two female acquaintances on Facebook interact over the DeVos confirmation hearing, and initially, it was heated, but then it grew friendly. One is a liberal and a Christian (who from the looks of it may have recently converted). The other is a Trump supporter and grew up in church. I was kind of surprised. Sometimes it seems like I’m the only one that clearly sees the social consequences of what I believe.
As much as some would like to prophesy doom and gloom about the next four years, I have hope that young people will generally be less divided than their parents, and a large part of that is the culture of a college. It should be a safe space to take risks. It always has been. Depending on what this Congress does about student loans, this academic and social freedom may be in jeopardy, and I would hate to see it go. For a considerable amount of my lifetime, I’ve been in school. It’s a part of my identity. Though I’ve felt somewhat institutionalized at times, I still have a dream of being a professor and would do anything and give anything to make the end goal of that long road a reality. I wish you all well on your own roads. Let’s hope that college is still a part of making America great again.
