I'll Be The First To Admit I'm A Social Justice Warrior, And I'm Tired
Standing up for what you believe in is an uphill battle that sometimes feels like will never end.
Throughout politics in the 1900s, it's easy to track the shift between right and left-leaning politics in response to various historical events.
After World War II, the changing culture in the states leads to a huge divide between traditional values and forward thinking. This was followed by the biggest Civil Rights movement the country had ever seen. After waning throughout the '70s, conservatives fought back in the '80s, dominating politics with evangelical views. For a while, that was the most extreme enforcement of conservative values ever before in response to the AIDS crisis, lavender scare and Roe v. Wade.
Until now, that is.
In the wake of the first Black President society over corrected hard, which produced the toupee-clad, Cheeto-puff of a person that sits in the office today.
It's no secret that many of Trump's attitudes, methods and opinions mirror the behavior of major historical dictators like Hitler and Stalin. Research from political scientists, historians, psychologists, and sociologists supports this. So, violence, discrimination, and violations of civil rights have increased correspondingly.
During the Obama administration, I fell victim to rape. After recovering from that, I decided to reclaim my power and became heavily immersed in advocacy for sexual assault survivors, as well as prevention and education. This was 2015, and it's where my career as an advocate began.
I was disabled for a time by my PTSD and still struggle with my mental health. The last 4 years have also seen me realize that I'm queer. On top of that, many of my family members are immigrants from Mexico, and, although pregnancy does not affect me, I became passionately pro-choice through my work with Planned Parenthood. For the last four years, I've tried to show unwavering support for these groups, educate others on these issues and vocalize how they affect me.
Then Trump was elected.
I've lost count of how many times either the man himself or his administration has offended what I believe in. From the Latinx children locked in cages and my transgender siblings barred from the military to Trump himself bragging about sexual assault and making fun of a disabled person, it seems like all change this administration makes will be painful for me and the people I love.
Worse, however, is how easily so much of the country has followed their lead.
It's gotten to the point where I can't even scroll through Twitter peacefully without there being something terrible in the news. With Trump in the lead, xenophobia, racial violence, and bigotry are regular occurrences from people assured they'll get away with it. Then, after promoting or committing this behavior, conservatives have the nerve to call people "snowflakes."
Every sit-com and children's book tells a similar narrative of standing up for what you believe in, even in the face of ridicule or threat of violence. Apparently, Republicans have yet to see or read those.
Even if you lack the basic human empathy to understand how the above-mentioned incidents might affect another person, there should still be the integrity to recognize that someone is experiencing pain and you shouldn't mock them for it.
Only bullies laugh at someone after kicking them down, which most parents would never condone in their children, so why is this lost in adulthood?
This state of society is absolutely deplorable and gets extremely depressing if you feel a moral obligation to stand up for yourself and the things you care about in the midst of it. Not to mention how unproductive this bipartisan tension is forgetting anything that matters decided and enforced.
The great divide itself is overwhelming enough to make anyone feel insignificant.
Ironically, this whole article feeds right into the stereotypes applied to people like me. However, if the state of things now doesn't make you feel a little icy or like your world is melting, you probably aren't paying enough attention.
Lucky you for having the luxury to ignore it.
In 2018, When A Celeb Goes Crazy, They Only Become More Popular
Kanye has built an identity which refuses to fade and won't, no matter what controversial comment he decides to make.
Let's face it. We live in Kanye's world. Whatever he says, does, or in recent days tweets, his millions of fans will always love and follow him, as is the case for most 21st century icons.
In 2018, being crazy is accepted, and almost even desired. Celebrities can't simply be talented or make a difference because if they weren't extra, they wouldn't be celebrities at all. The young American's mind doesn't care if you are a tone virtuoso or tear-jerking actor, they want to hear how you think the world is flat or how you think we should abolish the amendment that ended slavery.
2018's celebrities aren't idiots, Kanye's metaphorical use of social justice within his lyrics accurately portrays his musical genius, but they intelligently choose to be idiotic seeking the holy grail of American culture, clout.
Clout is what every artist, YouTuber, or Instagrammer is after. Clout defines who a celebrity is and how much they're worth, and it doesn't come easy. It can take a person years to build up their fan base, and it's a lot simpler if they aren't simple.
While Kanye's rants produce bad press, in the words of any wise man: "bad press is still press." His recent Twitter rants, vocal support of Trump, and decision to change his name to "Ye" do create controversy within his fan base, but controversy isn't disloyalty. Kanye has built an identity which refuses to fade and won't, no matter what controversial comment he decides to make.
Celebrities withstanding the criticism of their fans isn't anything new, but the scale in which it occurs in 2018 is. Similar to Kanye, Serena Williams underwent recent fan disapproval due to her poor sportsmanship in the US Open. While fans continue to criticize Williams and attack her standing as a respected professional tennis player, she will never truly lose support. To say that she took a moment of immense joy away from a fellow competitor is valid, but the post-match story presented by the media would never have represented her opponent anyway. If Williams had lost without backlash and remained cordial throughout the match, the story still would have represented her. History and the media still would have considered the match to be a loss for Serena Williams, not the first major win for a young rising star in Naomi Osaka.
History remembers icons, not the people who build them up or outshine them for a fleeting moment.
Kanye West and Serena Williams are both icons in their respective fields. They are successful, determined, omnipresent, and polarizing. 2018 had created the idyllic situation for someone not of the cookie-cutter mold, idols who are not only engaging but marketable.
The children of 2018 no longer want to be actors, singers, and rappers, they want to be YouTubers and Instagrammers whose social media reach extends far beyond talent. To be internet famous is perhaps the greatest achievement a member of Generation Z can have, and children recognize that. They look up to us and see new, more creative fields across social media platforms and they recognize what idols such as our President and Kanye West say and realize that while for those on a traditional route media comments last forever, for the lucky few who become icons, words can never tear down their fame.