The election is more or less officially over, and at this point, we're all coming to terms with the decision in our own way. Republicans are celebrating their victory, and Democrats are getting estimates for backyard bomb shelters. Now is the best time to take a look at the events of the election and try to evaluate what they say about the state of our country. In addition to Political Parties researching how to win the next election there has to be a serious examination of the American culture and its influence on voters. In that vein, as a totally unqualified college student, here are my thoughts on what the election meant about American culture.
The thing that sticks out most in my head is the obsession with gender and sexuality. Back in July before the presidential races really began to heat up, North Carolina passed a bill that aimed to keep trans people from using the bathroom that corresponded to their gender identity. As expected this kicked up a lot of discussion from both ends of the political spectrum and everyone in between. Because it was so early in the year, and fewer candidates had dropped out, it became a bit of a talking point. Hillary Clinton came down hard on the side of transgender activists. However, some people accuse her of pandering, as public opinion for gay rights increased so did the tendency for Clinton to support them. Trump however, flipped the opposite way when he realized he required the support of evangelical Republicans. Originally Trump stated that transgender people should use whatever bathroom they feel comfortable using, a stance contrary to the majority of Republicans. Since selecting the conservative Mike Pence as his running mate, Trump has reneged on this statement. As a cisgendered, heterosexual man I have to admit that my perspective on this issue is limited as I would not be affected. However, I think it's important to notice that these contradictory statements, that are easily found on the internet, had no real negative impact on the campaigns of either candidate. Americans will tend to fall on the side of the candidate who is saying what they want to hear at that exact moment in time, without consideration for why they're saying what they are or how it relates to what they have said before.
In a similar vein, this election brings up the question of sexual scandal and its impact on American politics. In the 1990's Hillary Clinton's husband Bill, then president of the United States, was caught up in a scandal that involved him having sexual relations with a white house intern. This scandal, of course, was instrumental in leading to Bill Clinton's impeachment. Hillary's political opponents were quick to use this scandal against her in her campaign. More telling than her rivals' reactions, however, were the reactions of the American people. This is anecdotal, but personally I saw a lot of posts on social media by Trump supporters attacking Hillary's campaign by referring to the events of her husband. I can't link to any specifics images here, but if you were on the internet over the past few months you probably saw hundreds of memes that blamed Hillary for her husband's infidelity. The problem is that Clinton wasn't impeached for cheating on his wife, that isn't against federal law, he was impeached for lying under oath, which is. Although the allegations of Hillary Clinton being a liar aren't completely unfounded, the criticisms of Hillary's morality are the ones that stick out. Trump himself has been plagued with scandals this election season that concern his sexual morality. It seems almost comically hypocritical to me that a group of people who denounce Hillary for her husband's cheating will support a man who has admitted to sexual assault. Trump's background is filled with these types of scandals, including allegations of affairs and rapes. The fact that Trump, who is a party in an ongoing rape case, was elected shows that America has no real regard for the sexual morality of its leader unless it can be used to attack the other side.
I think that the most important thing that this election taught us was what is truly important to the American public. In the past, the wrong word about a policy or an errant yell could end a presidential hopeful's campaign in its tracks. Today, however, the importance seems to have shifted from policy or character to the symbolism of the candidates themselves. Trump is a political outsider, and although his policies are similar to that of many presidents before him, he pandered to a group of people who felt their interests weren't represented by Washington. Trump always projected the image of himself as a self-made billionaire and successful businessman, something that many Americans aspire to and respect. Hillary, on the other hand, is the perfect image of a politician, which in many people's eyes has come to be considered synonymous with a criminal. In the end, it isn't about what the candidates believe or say, but who the American people think that the candidate is. America has long been obsessed with celebrity, and that was never more apparent than in this election.
