Angel Yang, Period 8, 11/25/20, Day C

 Angel Yang

Period 8

11/20/20

Day C

Modern Mythology 2021

Socio-political Consciousness:

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

    The 2020 U.S. presidential election was the first election that I paid attention to and followed relatively closely. Though I’m not old enough to vote yet, I find it inspiring that so many young adults and first-time voters felt compelled to vote during this election. Whether this statistic is attributed to the devastating COVID-19, the polarizing effect of President Trump, or the constant reminder to vote from brands and public figures, I hope this trend continues in the future.

    What I found most interesting (or entertaining?) was the aftermath of the election. Going to bed on November 3, it seemed that President Trump would be certainly be reelected. But once the heavily Democratic-leaning mail-in ballots began to be counted, former Vice President Joe Biden grew closer and closer to victory. It’s hard to deny his 6 million vote lead, but that’s where the voter fraud allegations come in. Where this argument falls through is that this situation had already been predicted. Analyzing how the candidates urged their voters to vote, Trump encouraged voting in-person to avoid voter fraud via mail, but Biden asked voters to vote via mail to curb rising COVID-19 rates. It shouldn’t be surprising that historically Democrat voting districts would have overwhelming Democrat mail-in ballots. Voter fraud is a definite possibility but this is the case for every election. What makes this post-election reaction unprecedented are the immediate fraud allegations without an ounce of evidence. Essentially using his position of power as incumbent president to deny the results, Trump has silenced the American people’s vote. What’s even more concerning is that this isn’t the first time.

    Voter suppression, often in oppressed predominantly Black and Latino communities, is a long-term tactic used by both parties. Though voter suppression stems back to the 19th century, polling station closures, delayed ballot delivery, and ballot drop-off site removal were seen in this election. Changing voter ID laws, too, exacerbate situations where people of color may not have access to the appropriate identification to vote. Whether this was 100% intentional or not doesn’t diminish the potentially crippling effect. Such practices take away one of the American people’s fundamental rights. Just a few zip codes away from my house, poll watchers approached voters in line and threatened to assault them. If citizens of the United States no longer feel safe enough to vote in a secure, safe, and private manner, we can no longer be labeled as a democratic republic. In my opinion, addressing and rectifying this injustice and inequity at every level of government should be the collective’s first priority.

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

    Generally, I believe this election year has taught me to be more open-minded. Many times, especially in the age of social media and algorithms, I found myself hearing the same opinions over and over again. This echo chamber can be incredibly damaging to the two-party system that our government has established as Democrats will lean more towards the left and Republicans will lean more towards the right. To fully participate in a democracy (even a democratic republic) is to familiarize yourself with both parties’ platforms and stances on policy. I’m trying to always seek out differing opinions and decide where I stand on an issue-to-issue basis. I also hope I’ll continue to separate a person’s political beliefs from their person. I’ve seen people completely diminish the credibility of someone else because they disagreed on politics. On the news, I’ve heard anecdotes of families being torn apart for this very reason. Therefore, recognizing the humanity in everyone is something that will ensure our nation doesn’t become perpetually divided.