By Shiraz Rimer
In the light of the recent elections, we must stop and reflect and try to understand what happened on November 8th…
Here at the International School of Geneva, we receive an open, candid and unbiased education. To us, (and when I say us, I mean the majority of students at LGB, as there are some exceptions…) it seems blatant that a misogynistic, racist pig is in no way suitable to be president. Yet an astonishing proportion of Americans did not share my opinion.
But why does it come as a surprise that he was elected ? In an age dictated by social media and influenced by celebrities and soap operas, is Donald Trump really an unusual president? People spend hours watching The Bachelorette and Jersey Shore. Young girls look up to Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian, (these women have more plastic than flesh). Boys want to grow up to be like Ryan Lochte (a lying macho). The media has completely perverted the nation and brainwashed millions by making stupid people relevant and portraying them as “heroes” and “good role models”. These Hollywood celebrities and politicians are train wrecks, known for being rude, dishonest and greedy. But come on guys, are these really people we should look up to? Do you think Martin Luther King Jr and Gandhi would be pleased to know that they’ve been happily replaced by porn stars and billionaires? Are their values the ones we believe in? So what, we have a psychopath in control of the most powerful country in the world! Should we just hit snooze and wait four years for a change? Certainly not! We must continue fighting for equality and peace and make our voices heard. The problem is that the extreme right is gaining a lot of power in many countries. The french presidential elections are right around the corner (April 2017) and it would not come as a surprise if Marine Le Pen (the leader of the far-right “Front National”) were to win…
There is also the extremely frightening rise of the white nationalist movements such as the Alt-Right (short for “Alternative Right”). The Alt-Right is a white-supremacist, anti-semitic, nativist, homophobic, sexist, racist, neo-Nazi movement that has gained popularity in the last decade. At a recent conference in Washington DC, Richard Spencer (a prominent Alt-Right leader) said “Hail Trump” at which the crowd responded to with Nazi salutes. He then continues his speech by quoting Hitler, using the term “Lügenpresse” (lying press- a word used by the Nazis to attack their critics in the press specifically jews and communists). He finishes his speech by attacking jews saying: “One wonders if these people are people at all, or instead soulless golem?” Much of the recent focus on the Alt-right arises from Trump’s appointment of Stephen Bannon as senior presidential adviser. Stephen Bannon is the executive chairman of Breitbart News, a platform for the Alt-Right.
Needless to say, it is important for us to remember that white supremacy is not funny. That racist jokes are not cool. Attacking muslims is not cool. Hitler isn’t cool. Discrimination isn’t cool nor is misogyny. We, students of the International School of Geneva, have the responsibility, as educated human beings to fight against those who utter such stupidities and to enlighten them on the severity of the matter.
