I am a senior in high school. This means my life is
currently filled with standardized testing, transcripts, teacher
recommendations, and decisions as to where I should be applying for college
next fall. I am also voting in my first election in November. The election this
year brings up a lot of questions in regards to my future as well as the future
of the entire country. Will I have access to affordable birth control? If I
were to ever be sexually assaulted, would my rapist be prosecuted? Would I be
blamed? Will I ever make as much money as my brother will for doing the same
job? Will black men and women ever not live in fear of police violence? A few
days ago I had a conversation with my mother during which I brought up these
questions. At the end, all she said was “I’m glad you registered to vote.”
The election has been a controversial one to say the least,
with Trump and Clinton offering two very different futures for our country.
Let’s start by talking about Donald Trump (because that’s what everyone else
seems to be doing recently). Ignoring his financial background (refusing to
release his taxes, having multiple lawsuits against his companies, and having
several go bankrupt anyway), he has no experience in politics, nor does he have
any idea about what it means to lead a country. Trump
is also putting millions of lives in danger. If he were to win, he would (try)
to deport millions of Mexican and Muslim citizens purely based on their
heritage, not to mention the global unrest that his regime would bring about.
He would create a culture in which anyone who is not a straight, white
cisgender male would feel unsafe in their existence. It is strange in and of
itself that members of Trump’s own political party would refuse to endorse him
as a presidential candidate. Regardless of what you think about either
candidate’s policies, you can’t ignore that Trump is unpredictable and
dangerous, whereas Clinton would operate within the normal bounds of the office.
Clinton, on the other hand is the definition of Girl Boss. As
the New York Times put it, she is “one of the most tenacious politicians of her
generation, whose willingness to study and correct course is rare in an age of
unyielding partisanship.” Time and again she has (among other things) defended
women’s rights, railed against gun violence, and fought against systematic
racism. Yes, she has made mistakes, but isn’t that to be expected in a 35 year
long career? In order to enact any of her plans in office, she depends on the
approval of Congress. This means reaching across party lines and working with
Republicans to reach a compromise.
Of course, this is nothing new to expect of a President. What
is new, however, is a presidential candidate who is not only unwilling to work
with anyone, but who is belligerent and outwardly aggressive towards anyone who
opposes him. Trump has set the tone for his potential presidency not by
attacking Clinton’s policies, but by attacking her has a woman. It is no secret
that he is incredibly, undeniably sexist. He has gleefully said things like “If
Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy
America?” (Twitter, 4/16/15). He has called women “bimbos” and said of his
former opponent Carly Fiorina, “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can
you imagine that, the face of our next next president? I mean, she's a woman,
and I'm not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we
serious?" (Rolling Stone Magazine, 9/9/15).
Recently Hillary Clinton has released an ad in which Trump
is heard insulting women as young girls go about their daily lives. The message
is clear: is Trump the president we want for our daughters? As bad as sexism
and rape culture are right now, think about how bad they will be when the
leader of our country regularly insults and demeans 50% of the population. This
will not only make it acceptable to follow in his tiny footsteps, but such
behavior will be encouraged. This terrifies me. This possibility is something
that should be written about in a dystopian novel, not in the mainstream media.
On the other hand, growing up under a Hillary would encourage both young men
and women to fight for their futures. Girls seeing themselves in Clinton would
raise a generation of girl bosses.
Basically what I’m doing here is a call to action. If you
can and haven’t already, register to vote. Even more importantly, show up to
vote on Election Day. The only thing standing between us and having a girl boss
for president is voting. It all starts with us.
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