Politics has a well-earned reputation for bringing the worst out of people. Whether its candidates spending thousands of dollars on attack ads or you getting into a heated conversation with your family members during Thanksgiving, American citizens have learned to tread lightly through any discussion about politics. However, the candidates of the 2016 election have taken this reputation to a new level of cringe-worthy. The more I think I about it, the more I realize our election has been deteriorated to another sad form of reality TV entertainment. If each president were a movie star, here's what their characters would be:
1. Ted Cruz: The Joker, "The Dark Knight"
Heath Ledger was an extremely talented individual. Ted Cruz? Not so much. A range of political actors, from former presidents to current senators, have voiced their dislike for the candidate, attacking him for his work ethic or self-interested motives. He might not be a mentally deranged serial killer, but Ted Cruz has voted against the Violence Against Women Act, so you can't help but have some doubts. Online forums joke about conspiracy theories claiming he's the Zodiac Killer, so The Joker might not be that far off. The thought of either of these men having any type of control over my life sends chills down my spine. Plus he thinks jokes like these are... funny?
2. Hillary Clinton: Regina George, "Mean Girls"
Like Hillary, Regina is an expert at what she does, even if that's manipulating those around her for power and popularity. After years of molding their expertise, neither are women you want to mess with. Even though both women are extremely intelligent, they might not always use their smarts for the best purposes. Both women are fully aware of how influential and powerful they are among their peers. They know exactly what to say to make you feel like they care about you, but who knows what they're genuinely passionate about. Whether it's Spring Fling queen or President of the United States, both are going to get their titles or die trying.
3. John Kasich: Any Extra, Any Movie
He's probably a smart, thoughtful individual, but the 2016 elections have proven that the GOP has no room for those kinds of people in their party. As a result, poor Kasich sits in the background in the cafeteria, sits alone on the bus home and gets hit in the face during PE dodgeball. Similarly, on the political stage, his fellow candidates disregard him as having no potential to thwart their campaigns. Both Cruz and Trump have blatantly asked him to drop from the race. Kasich gets $38 million worth of free media , while Cruz gets over eight times as much as that, and Trump gets almost $2 billion worth of free media. The point I'm making is this: no one pays attention to Kasich. He's just the extra, the background noise of the election. I couldn't even find a cover photo that included Kasich, which definitely supports my point. Whether the treatment is deserved or not, we'll never know... because almost no one is paying attention to his campaign.
4. Bernie Sanders: Peeta Mellark, "The Hunger Games" Trilogy
Peeta Mellark stole the hearts of thousands of fans when he said he didn't want the Hunger Games to change him. Weirdly enough, the American political system shares a lot of cut-throat similarities with the fictional series. We know that Peeta has been a kind soul since an early age when readers learned that he was beaten by his mother for giving bread to a starving girl. Similarly, Sanders has always been an advocate for civil rights and women's rights, standing up against injustices and even getting arrested for it in 1963. Both figures want to stand up to their respective Goliath's and although one might not reach his goal, you can't help but admire how hard each of them try. Perhaps both too unrealistic and too idealistic, one was successful because he's in a fictional storyline. Perhaps Sanders can take a leaf out of Peeta's book and team up with an extremely powerful woman to help him achieve his goals? Unlikely, but we can only dream Sanders will spark the change he wishes to see in the world. Bonus! Did you know that Sanders isn't owned by Wall Street and big money?! You're welcome for the fun fact.
5. Donald Trump: Lord Voldemort, "The Harry Potter" Series
Lord Voldemort isn't technically a high schooler, but he spends an awful amount of time at a school & has a strange obsession with the most popular teenage boy there. Sounds like a high schooler to me. Nobody likes talking about him because talking about him only validates his existence.On the contrary, you can't keep Donald Trump out of a conversation even if you were paid to do so. But he is similar in his creepy, unsettling demeanor and only gets more terrifying as more people join his ranks. Well, he's only terrifying if you're a female, an immigrant, a journalist, a politician or a resident of Mexico. The sad thing is, it seems like both men feed off the fear of other people, so it can be guessed that Trump will only get stronger before a real-life Harry Potter rises to the occasion.
