Benz de Marshall Pierre | Staff Writer
For a while now, we have had a sense of a cultural war that blurs the thin line between culture and politics. But in all wars, there are winners and losers.
Several politicians have launched their presidential campaigns, and there’s one recurrent theme with the Republican candidates. They seem to be aiming for some sort of sociopolitical renewal or the rescue of the soul of this country. One prominent example is Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s pledge to reduce the federal workforce in hopes of ushering in a new revolution capable of rivaling Ronald Reagan.
The nation is undergoing an identity crisis. For many Right-wingers, the emerging influence of “wokeism” and similar cultural trends are the root cause of the issue, and a return to tradition is considered the antidote. On the left, the deafening response to marginalized communities and the number of laws passed against minorities are particularly alarming and deserve our attention.
The grievances on both sides are many, and enumerating them would be beyond the scope of this article. However, some of them are worthy to point out. Not a week goes by without our society showing the signs that it is aching. Among them, former president Donald Trump now faces 91 criminal counts for having tested the system in unfathomable ways.
Trump has given the system its most controversial test yet, and we can only thank a system of rigorous laws and traditions for his failure to usurp the elections. His actions are that of a man of sheer greed and a bruised ego masqueraded by a desire to work for the middleman.
Annihilating Roe v. Wade last summer has given women new reasons to fight for their right to an abortion. If YouTube is your source of entertainment, as mine is, you will find it hard to steer clear of the different communities grounded in wild conspiracy theories of men in the West under attack.
AP African American history suffered some twists to accommodate the sensibilities of mostly disgruntled white parents, and the latest comments on slavery having been somehow beneficial to the slaves is the most scandalous one yet. The queer community is now the enemy of choice for aspiring presidential candidates. A war rages in Eastern Europe, and in the United States, politicians such as Georgia’s Marjory Taylor Green and Former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson have expressed discomfort in backing Ukraine.
All seems under attack, whether one looks at it through a leftist or right-wing lens. We look for our saviors in opportunists who validate our unreasonable biases.
As each side strives to push its vision further and further, the American ideal will suffer the consequences.
For some, the ideal America is white, Christian and the father is the sole breadwinner. But for others, it is the complete opposite – America is diverse and does not assign any roles based on gender.
Because of these predicaments, the right to vote, coupled with some other political tricks to dilute the impact of a voting bloc, will become the determinant factor of what kind of radical change will take place.
The electorate will decide the winners of this cultural war. It will not, as some idealists might believe, be an emotional revival that will make us all dream about the past.
In other words, voting will be vital to any faction vying for power. It has always been the case. The electorate has always determined which political party will rule the nation. But nothing about our political landscape suggests that similar trials have occurred in the past.
The victors of the cultural war are decided by the awareness of our right as American citizens to vote. Although a year is left to prepare ourselves for the elections, don’t forget your power in deciding who’s the most appropriate choice to lead our country.
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