What many scholars deemed impossible has come to pass, but probably not in the way any of them even dared to imagine. A 3rd party that doesn’t even appear explicitly on the ballot has broken through the years-old 2-party-dominated system the U.S. has had since, according to Sarah Pruitt of History.com, “the mid-1800s.” The “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement has done immense damage to our democracy and culture. Many writers of “The Conversation” have stated that this movement has radicalized the Republican Party ever since the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which emboldened hostility towards mainstream media. With even President Trump referring to the media as “the enemy of the American people” on the social media platform X back in February 2017. Trump has reused variations of that phrase throughout both of his presidential terms.
Personally, I have many qualms with mainstream media. However, I never would have imagined a person with such power in our country simultaneously weaponizing and bashing the media to lead a movement that has sowed such extreme seeds of distrust into our everyday lives. Some may see that as a naive take, but I come from a generation that is bashed repeatedly for everything from laziness to fashion trends — a generation that also lives in fear of not having control, so much so that even regular conversations can turn sour if every word isn’t meticulously chosen. This emergence that I have witnessed over the years is not a reflection of the America I said the pledge of allegiance to every day, K-12, over and over again.
In my hopes and dreams, we had a 3-party system that balanced the power struggle into something manageable, not something that divides our country, and individual relationships. Families, friendships, and people as a whole now have yet another topic to avoid in an already avoidant society. We can be so much more than the influence that MAGA has on us today. Be bold, brave, and most of all, stay curious about the truth and don’t stop seeking until you find it. The hatemongering spearheaded by President Trump and supported by MAGA has made a joke of our government, and I would like to stop laughing.
