To the editor:
It all began when I heard one of my friends say “you know, I don’t think Trump is that bad,” to which I responded to with a look of horror. That day was January 12, the day after Trump had just called El Salvador and Haiti “shithole countries” – a fact she she was not aware of.
After lecturing my friend about not reading the news, a boy next to us joined in and said, “you know, I personally don’t think he’s that bad either. I mean, it’s not like he’s doing anything. I like to stay moderate.” And of course, he was not aware of the “not-so-bad-president’s” comments the previous day, either. But his latter sentence confused me: “I like to stay moderate.”
Does one have to be a radical to recognize when a statement is- straightforwardly put- blatantly stupid? What, do moderates not think that the Commander-in-Chief of an entire
country calling other countries “shitholes” is something that can be looked upon with a “moderate” stance? Calling a country a feces-trench is a dull-witted statement, with or without political intentions.
One thing I’ve been noticing with some of my friends – who are not as updated with politics as I am – is that they like to call themselves “moderate,” “independent,” or like to say that
“oh, I’m not into politics.” But they aren’t exactly what they really think they are. Sure, there are such things like being moderate and not being involved with politics. But that notion is somewhat of a logical fallacy due to a lack of understanding of today’s reality. Today, politics and society are inevitably intertwined, because there is a bigger concept intertwined between the two: power. That is why recent movements such as the #MeToo campaign has not only been involved in the workplace and entertainment industry, but in the political sphere as well.
One can connect the history of power and oppression of an entire group of people, in which its roots can be seen throughout various factors, such as representation in government, suffrage, and even social stereotypes. Even for things like political correctness, some despise it and see it as a “libtard” way of being overly sensitive. But as with everything, the concept of political correctness is blown out of proportion. It really should not be a Democrat or Republican way of thinking whether it is okay to use the ‘n-word’ so freely. Saying “You fight like a girl” and ignoring today’s climate of gender equality is just a way of enforcing deep-rooted historical barriers that keep a society from advancing.
It is understandable why those who call themselves “moderate” do so. Ever since the 2016 presidential election, the United States was thrown into the sphere of political polarization, a seemingly black and white way of seeing things. So, after the elections and heightened polarization, those who previously were not as involved with politics were unwillingly thrown into the open and asked for their opinions. And it’s not entirely their fault. But associating oneself as a Democrat or Republican doesn’t necessarily mean that one has to go out into the streets and join protests. It’s simply a matter of their beliefs and how how one thinks.
Thus, although people have the right to remain “moderate,” such people need to realize that, sometimes being politically ignorant is the equivalent to keeping this country halted in its progress of democracy, and its recovery of past mistakes.
Janice Lee
Hillsborough
