University of Sussex Students' Newspaper

Whilst in America…

Bianca Serafini

ByBianca Serafini

Jun 29, 2016
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves to supporters after speaking at a campaign event in Dallas, Monday, Sept. 14, 2015. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Our Arts Editor Bianca Serafini has gone home to New York for the summer and is now surveying the political turmoil on both sides of the Atlantic..

I’d comment on the Brexit but our Houlihan did a great, sentimental, quasi-apocalyptical opinion piece on it (click here for it) and we could have a lengthy sob fest about who has it worse – so I’m going to be selfish and say it’s the possibility of Trump becoming president, for the sake of an argument. But then again, it seems England is becoming more and more like her larger and taller cousins across the pond anyway.

After the Orlando shooting, the Senate, once again, rejected gun-control propositions; four to be exact. As if it were too much to ask for background checks and for the cessation of guns being sold to people on the “no-fly” list and possibly — I’m going out on a limb here — not selling AR-type rifles to civilians. Until, of course, someone from any of the 50 US states will give me a just reason other than “It’s mah gawd-dayum raight to.” I’ve gritted my teeth and actually spoken to a couple of NRA-loving Republicans in the last couple of days and the general consensus when it comes to arms is always along the lines of: if someone wants to kill people they’d find a way in any case. Sure, of course they would, but possibly not with ammunition flying at 1000 feet per second (and those are the slow bullets). And of course, whenever you bring up another country, such as England, to prove how gun control can really reduce the numbers of deaths — the gun violence rate in England and Wales is one for every 1 million people, writes USA Today, which, in a population of 56 million, adds up to 50 to 60 gun-related deaths annually — silence ensues and some form of grumble resembling “we’re a free country” spews out. In the meanwhile the NRA keeps using anti-Obama rhetoric, “Once again, President Obama has chosen to engage in political rhetoric, instead of offering meaningful solutions to our nation’s pressing problems.  Today’s event also represents an ongoing attempt to distract attention from his lack of a coherent strategy to keep the American people safe from terrorist attack,” and then continues, “The NRA will continue to fight to protect the fundamental, individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms as guaranteed under our Constitution.” Clearly the NRA can’t count, because England suffers 60 gun violence deaths a year, while the US manages to justify 91 deaths per day using the 2nd Amendment.

The general frustration that the rest of the world feels towards the US is also due to the fact that Americans hide behind the Constitution at every given point. The thought of amending the Constitution is seen as this blasphemous unholy act that will result in the death of America as a whole and will undoubtedly precede the apocalypse. But then again, how is it that all these Americans are also voting for Trump? If you cared about the Constitution so much, why are you voting for someone that is trying to abolish freedom of religion and freedom of speech (1stAmendment)? Not to mention the abrogation of the 14th amendment that states all children born on American soil automatically become citizens.

The truth is, Trump is a terrorist and the people voting for him (and supporting him) are, too. And, no, I haven’t gone mad and this isn’t some nonsensical conspiracy theory. A terrorist, by definition, is someone who uses violence and threats for political purposes, when Trump says he wants to deport certain groups of people due to their beliefs or their ethnicity, that automatically makes him a terrorist. My claims may seem out of proportion to some, but I don’t see much difference between people who kill in the name of a religious or political belief and people who promote hate and clap when the notion of deportation is brought up, holler whenever an “enemy” country (that’s “telling us what to do” and “stealing our jobs”) is discussed and chant when Mexicans are referred to as rapists. One could argue that Trump hasn’t killed anyone, but what happens if he becomes president?

Finally, I’m not worried about the ignorant, and possibly largely illiterate people that follow Trump, but about those citizens that out of hate for Hillary Clinton (or worse, blindly loyal to Bernie) will either not vote or vote for Trump. Those are the people I cannot stand, like four-year-old-children that will either have their favorite candy or not have anything at all, they’re the ones that are going to ruin the country out of unyielding reluctance to vote for the lesser evil.

I’m moving to Bali and opening a Tiki bar. Who’s with me?

The view from Bianca's front step.
The view from Bianca’s neighbourhood.

 

Bianca Serafini

By Bianca Serafini

Resident American Arts Editor, overseas the Arts section with meticulous efficiency. Pitch her anything, big or small, as she’s usually locked up in the Badger office drinking coffee, and occasionally absconds in search of a cheeseburger. Fun warning: don’t bring up Trump.

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