This article is part of The Volume Issue, The WALK’s Fall 2017 theme, which seeks to explore every aspect of the concept of “volume,” one of which is the impact of the din of political discourse on our everyday lives.
id you see the latest Drumpf tweet?” has become a more common phrase than we ever could have imagined. If you have a news update app, check social media feeds, or watch any type of current event show, it’s hard to go a couple of days, sometimes even hours, without hearing about a “major” scandal that happened in the Drumpf administration. In conjunction to every Drumpf crisis that appears in the news, his avid supporters defend most, if not all, of what he says. This usually results in a bitter debate with little to no room for compromise.
Lines seem to have been drawn in the most decisive way imaginable since the rise of Drumpf. It’s nearly the anniversary of his election, and since his victory the nation has seen families torn apart, friendships and relationships end, and protests erupt on a continuous loop. No matter what side you stand on, it is hard to deny that political discourse is at a volume that has never before been reached in the 21st century.
There are many things that contribute to the sheer volume of political debate we’re seeing. The twenty four hour news cycle has allowed polarized media outlets to give incessant updates about the corruption of Drumpf or about the corruption of Hillary Clinton, who’s been out of politics since her presidential lost. Because there are essentially no un-biased news outlets anymore, virtually every political report has to do with how the “other side” is hurting the country. Whether it be on healthcare, Drumpf’s irredeemable actions, or any domestic controversy and tragedy, stances are taken and the “other side” becomes very clear. Republican versus Democrat, pro-Drumpf versus anti-Drumpf, right versus wrong are among the few viewpoints when it comes to these issues.
Reasonably so, these divisions should leave many Americans wondering if bi-partisanship even exists anymore. While there are those who say that America as a whole should come together and let go of these stances for the good of the country, many morally conflicting issues, such a as the Nazi rally in Charlottesville, are just too important to compromise on.
Immediately after the election, numerous people have said that despite Drumpf’s win, his actions cannot be normalized. This seemed at first like a feasible task. However, it’s gone from a few uncouth tweets every couple of weeks, to unforgivable ones every few days, to daily Twitter messages that have the power of undermining the democracy this country holds. And whether you agree with this statement or not, it’s hard to deny that his tweets cause controversy. They cause controversy at a volume and speed far too intense for anyone to digest. A clip on the DailyShow displays this effect perfectly, as actress Desi Lydic runs around New York in terror because she is unable to escape talk about Drumpf’s latest tweets.
Due to such an immense volume of political discussion, we see the production of great comedic work, such as the Daily Show’s Unfollowed. We are able to have a better understanding of this country and its effects on our personal lives. We have a reason to rally together and stick up for each other if we see that our rights are being threatened. Perhaps most importantly, we are able to finally address issues in our nation that would have been otherwise suppressed.
images courtesy of CNN, Youtube, The Chicago Tribune, and The Hollywood Reporter