Each Halloween, there is much to be scared of: openings of new horror movies, creepy decorations, and spooky costumes. This year, between IT Chapter 2 and Joker, people in scary clown costumes were around every corner. But this year, the clowns weren’t the scariest part of Halloween; the politicians were. Donald Trump has spent the past few years spreading hate, and he has convinced his supporters to do the same by telling them lies – lies about people like immigrants and Muslims. By doing this, Trump teaches his supporters to fear those who are different from him instead of trying to unite the country as a president should. Instead of teaching his supporters to help others, he tells them that everyone in poverty is lazy and asking for handouts.
Trump’s supporters have been spreading his hateful ideas, but over the past few months, the hatred has only increased. The day the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry was announced, my neighbor across the street hung a confederate flag from the back of his pickup truck, and my next-door neighbor put out a Trump 2020 sign. These two things came together – the Trump 2020 sign showed my neighbor’s support for Trump, but the confederate flag did too. By hanging a confederate flag, my neighbor showed his support for Trump’s racist ideas. The confederate flag was used to represent those who supported slavery; today, it is still used to show hatred toward people of color. Even so, the Republicans weren’t the only scary politicians – the Democrats are guilty too. Although they aren’t hanging confederate flags, the Democrats are still spreading hatred, but this hatred is being spread toward each other. Instead of uniting as a party, Democratic presidential candidates have spent the past few months tearing each other down in debates and the media. Politicians should focus on implementing the policies that are best for the citizens, but instead, they focus on tearing each other down so they are reelected.
Despite the terrifying hatred being spread by politicians, you should focus on the positives. Whenever you are scared for America’s future, remember that America’s youth are starting to stand up. Between the kids from March for Our Lives protesting gun violence and Greta Thunberg who spoke to the United Nations about climate change, young people are prepared to fight for what they believe in to make the world a better place. I hope you thought of these positives and had a happy Halloween!
HCXO, Riley
All images courtesy of Google Images