Stressed out by the 2020 election
Dear readers, this blog is a little bit different from the other ones. As much as I tried to stay away from politics, that has proven to be impossible, considering I moved to the US in 2020: the election year. When talking to some friends at home, I was told that ”the States doesn’t look much different now compared to the States from 6 years ago” and I completely understand that comment. However, it is very different from 6 years ago, but you can maybe only see these differences when you’re literally in the middle of it. So with this blog I offer you some insight into the current state of the USA.
the divided states of america
It has been mentioned many times before, and really hits the nail on its head: whatever your opinion on America is right now, there is absolutely no way we can still talk about the United States of America. The country has never been this divided before. (well, maybe during the civil war in 1861, but that’s over 150 years ago…) It’s either blue or red, democrat or republican, liberal or conservative. There is no in-between. If it wasn’t for me living here, I would think America only had two political parties, and effectively that’s what it is, a two-party system. Sure, there’s the Independent party and the Green party and so on. No ones votes for them though, so these parties don’t stand in chance in the elections. The two parties are complete polar opposites from one another, on most (if not all) the important topics, regarding the justice system, immigration, health care, guns etc, so it is not hard to imagine why people only agree with one party. Where are the shared values?
It certainly hasn’t always been like this, but it’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment in time where this started to happen. Many want to point the finger at Trump, who in my personal opinion is the main reason for this division. He has made it clear many times to only want to be the president of Republican states, and he has shifted the blame of several things, including the current pandemic, on the choices made by Democratic mayors. To talk about something close to home: after the escalation of protests that led to a fatal shooting in downtown Portland, president Trump was quick to say it was because of the ”radical do-nothing democrat mayor”.
“Do you seriously wonder, Mr. President, why this is the first time in decades that America has seen this level of violence? It is you who have created the hate and the division.”
- Ted Wheeler, mayor of Portland (august 2020)
It must be hard to live in a country where you know the very leader of the country doesn’t care about you. If you want to understand how hopeless people here are feeling, please listen to the song ”Commander in Chief”, quoted here on the right.
People here are struggling really hard. Social security is not a given in the US. Unemployment and high health-care bills due to the pandemic for many people mean going into poverty. Americans mostly live from paycheck to paycheck, and the government has only made a one-time payment of $1200 in this entire 7 months of Covid. I am lucky to live in Oregon, where my husband was able to apply for unemployment benefits based on his loss of income – these funds are all state dependent, which is why it’s so important to have a fund on a federal level to ensure there’s payments for ALL Americans. Even then, the Oregon Unemployment Bureau was so overwhelmed by all the applications, that it took them about 5 months to start paying people, and for many it was already too late.
“I’m not the only one,
That’s been affected and resented every story you’ve spun,
And I’m a lucky one,
‘Cause there are people worse off that have suffered enough,
Haven’t they suffered enough?
But you can’t get enough of shuttin’ down systеms for personal gain,
Fightin’ fires with flyers and prayin’ for rain
Do you gеt off on pain?
We’re not pawns in your game.”
- Demi Lovato: Commander in Chief (2020)
Eviction notices in 2020
The picture on the right shows hundreds of orange flags: These are eviction notices given to Portland residents, forcing people to leave their homes. From my apartment, I’m looking out onto the courtyard, into other people’s apartments. Most of what I see now is empty. Some people left the area because of the protests, riots, and poor management of the property. But many of them left because they couldn’t afford to live here anymore.
I know these unfortunate events are not just happening in the US, and the pandemic has left a path of destruction everywhere, but the thing you have to understand about the situation here is the hopelessness. There is no leader that’s working hard to contain the virus, that is pushing through stimulus bills to help people pay their rent, that has acknowledged any of these problems AT ALL.
the most important election ever
This is why it’s the most important election ever: there is a lot at stake! We are talking immigrant rights, affordable health care, gun laws, pandemic relief funds and even basic human rights. As an immigrant, and a woman, I can tell you that when Trump gets re-elected, I will no longer feel safe here. At the same time, when he doesn’t get re-elected, I fear for intense protests and riots, people taking guns into the streets, and taking ”justice into their own hands”. This country is bruised and is in desperate need of healing. How do you bring together two halves of America that seem to have nothing in common anymore? Where do you start the healing process when there’s too many problems? Will a new president fix everything? No, unfortunately not. The damage that has been done the last 4 years is something that might need another 4 years to come undone. However, the most important thing is the mental aspect. Because people here are angry. They are hurt. They are fed up with the lies. They are absolutely exhausted waking up to bad news every day. They are mourning their country and the dividedness that is America, where families can’t eat at the same table anymore because their beliefs are so fundamentally different from one another.
So yes – Election tension is very real here! After all these emotions have built up over the years, how can you not be anxious? The little bit of hope people still have left is based on the outcome of the election. People fear that when their hope is taken away, they will be left with nothing. So here’s to another 5 days of hoping – and potentially more if it’s going to be a close call.
For everyone who is currently not in the US and didn’t know about this, I hope this blog gave you some clarity. I have written about my own experience, that is formed by talking to many different people here; friends, in-laws, acquaintances and neighbors.
And that concludes this somewhat depressing blog about the upcoming 2020 Election.
Let me know what you think in the comments below! Stay safe & healthy everyone.
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