Editorial
It Can’t Happen Here
By Editorial Staff
November 10, 2016
Tags editorial
Senator Berzelius Windrip, a power-hungry and narcissistic demagogue, wins the U.S. presidential elections after vowing to restore the country’s long-lost greatness. Agitating fear and prejudices, Senator Windrip ran a populist platform describing himself as a champion of the eroding American values. Once in power, president Windrip cracks down on dissent, jails his political enemies and consolidates his authoritarian rule. The previous synopsis comes from Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 satirical novel It Can’t Happen Here. Lewis warns in his novel that no free society is immuned from the spectre of authoritarianism.
We at The Spectator pride ourselves on being neutral and on seeking to represent all voices in our community. But objectivity is in no way equal to an absence of values. We champion the same values upon which our republic and our institution were founded and upon which they continue to endure. We believe that “all men are created equal” and that our government is “by [all] the people and for [all] the people.” The type of rhetoric that seems to have been the lifeblood of the new President-elect’s campaign is strongly disturbing; its recent triumph in the political sphere is absolutely shocking.
We stand against any position that sabotages or threatens any member of our community due to their sex, gender, sexual-orientation, race, class or religion. We stand against the rise of misogyny and rape culture, against the victimization of communities of color, against bigotry, xenophobia and islamophobia, against mockery of the disabled, and against racial supremacy. We thought that we might hold these truths to be self-evidently vital to our community at Hamilton and to our republic.
While we do need to find a way to hold our new President-elect accountable for the kind of harmful rhetoric he has been peddling throughout his campaign, we must also resist the urge to fall into the trap of “Othering” all those who supported him. In the face of a Trump presidency, we need to take action, now, to demonstrate and affirm our values. Three things we can do right away include donating to charities and non-profits, volunteering, and practicing our own self-care in the face of adversity.
There are a million ways to participate, but one concrete action you can take today is to donate if you have the means. Consider: the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to uphold civil rights and liberties of all; Friends of the Earth or NextGen Climate Action to help combat climate change; Boarder Angels to advocate for immigration reform; Planned Parenthood, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence or Rape and/or Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) to help advocate for women’s rights, combat sexual violence and provide aid for survivors.
Everyone will be impacted by these election results and subsequent Presidency differently. Do your part to remind the world that what is great about America is our tolerance and acceptance of all people. Hamilton students: find a way to be each others’ allies.