The result of the last election is yet to be absorbed by many
of us… It is not about Democrats vs. Republicans this time… Yes, there are
ideology differences, and yes there is a threat of repealing the president’s
executive orders that protect the vulnerable, there is the affordable care (that
I strongly support), gun control, and of course the nomination of the Supreme
Court justices (shamefully handled by the other side of the isle), but again… this is not it!
My frustration, indignation, horror, panic, are about the
person we elected as a president… A person who offended every sector of our
sacred diverse society; insulting religious affiliation, dismissing heroes,
implying racism, mocking the disabled, disrespecting women, alienating the LGBT
community… all while hiding countless scandals, cheating, dis-loyalties,
immoralities, and robbing people who work for him…
This is the person whom we elected to replace the classiest,
smartest, most honest person ever sat in the oval office, and his classiest,
smartest first lady, with their lovely daughters. Darkness that replaces
enlightenment, regression replaces progression, dirt to replace purity, ugliness
to replace beauty...
How did it happen will take many more pages of rationalization,
many hours of explanations, and many sleepless nights of regret and pondering
on what could or should have been done differently…
Here is my token… Americans take their democracy for
granted. They rarely flood the streets
to protest injustice. They are removed from commitment to democracy; voting is
an option, not an obligation!
I was dismayed to discover that election night was the very
night selected by organization to which I belong, to have a membership drive. I
was even more amazed to find out that no one opposed that idea, and I, the
foreign born citizen, was the only person who chose not to participate and to stay
home, to watch (with horror) the election. Furthermore, that night happened to
be very successful, all members showed up, even those who were absent for months,
and new members turned in record numbers…
In my native country Election Day is a holiday. Workplaces
are closed, schools are closed, public transportation is free, and thus
everyone is part of the democratic process… yes, people do take advantage of
the system, but they do vote too, and a long line to the booth does not scare them.
Here, it is hard for working citizens to participate in the election, and for
those who have not planned ahead of time to use an absentee ballot, there is a
good chance that they will let others decide for them…
And it all goes back to education… Over the past year I
visited many schools, majority of them are high schools. To my surprise, students
showed very little interest, some even told me that they are not allowed to
discuss politics. They were usually curious of my vote, but once they were
satisfied that I am on their side (many are immigrants) they lost interest. The
only time I heard a heated discussion about the candidates was by three
students, all from my homeland, and although we were on different sides they
showed the passion and conviction I would expect from all teen-agers... Even
the days after the election didn’t bring much attention, and although some
expressed a mild surprise, no one really cared!
What do we teach in school? Do we teach mere testable
subjects? Do we ever put any emphasis on educating the young generation? Do we
still stress ‘Character counts’? Do we talk about values? Do we teach
citizenship? Yes, at one point they all have to take a subject called
‘Government’, but is this all the citizenship education that they get? Is this
the only vehicle to teach right from wrong?
As a teacher, and educator, I like to observe social
connections, especially integration. I love watching friendships between young
adults that cross race, color, religion or culture. This is our future…
Few days before the election I was warm-hearten to see two
students, of the same age and height, the white student standing in front of
the colored one, folding his sleeves up… I thought – this is so cute! The real
meaning of integration… Later I learned that they share the same first name,
and that they are best friends… made my day…
This is, however, what I heard a week after the election, in
a middle school. As I turned my head I heard the word ‘Niger’, something about
a ‘Jew’, and… ‘Heil Hitler’… As far as I
know, none of the above words were directed to a specific
person; they were part of a word game played by few immature students, yet, I
have never heard those words said in public, neither at school nor anywhere
else. Is the repulsive, regressive, rhetoric already setting in? Are we already
witnessing a new permissive rudeness that we worked so hard to repress all
these years? Are we going back to a dreadful reality belongs to another life at
another time?
There is no escape from the very serious question – is this
what we voted for? Is this the person, and his revolting entourage, that
we elected to guide us? Is this the person who will give an example to our kids?
