Most DISSAPOINTING Election for School Teachers?
“Look what happened? Is this crazy?”
Donald Trump, giving his victory speech in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2024
With the 2024 U.S. Election coming an end in November 5, Donald Trump has been elected to a second term as president, defeating a resurgent Democratic nominee and vice president Kamala Harris. Before the election, we gathered diverse views on the U.S. Election from students to teachers across the school to hear their thoughts, hopes, and values. Now, we are taking a retrospective look back at their pre-election opinions and how they stack up against the final outcome.
1: Opinions on Trump
Fellow English teacher:
If Trump is voted, democracy as a whole may take a step back. I’m surprised he’s still a candidate despite his crimes. I understand that his points may resonate with a specific portion of people but he has harmful and potentially dangerous ideas.
Fellow History teacher:
He’s clearly an outsider, no doubt about that, and by an outsider I mean not a career politician, unlike most people in Washington D.C. Donald Trump was in business, so of course there are advantages and disadvantages. But I’m not a fan of his redirect. Once again, we are in a tense and antagonistic moment in America politics. On his allegations, they are awful and I am appalled, but it feels they’re all apart of his political game of sorts.
Fellow History teacher:
My opinion on him is pretty low, as low as you can get. If you could have someone were the same pair of socks daily for a month without washing them. I would vote for those socks before trump.
Fellow student:
He didn’t do great things, and I don’t agree with him. I don’t mean to judge people, but he can be a douche sometimes to war veterans, political opponents, and even members of his own party. But still, I need more info. His allegations definitely don’t help my opinion on him.
2: Opinions of Kamala
Fellow History teacher:
I don’t know if she’s much of a political creature? But she’s somewhat of a walking contradiction. One hand was a district attorney a tough prosecutor, but on the other hand she’s a candidate of joy and is more favorable of immigrants. I don’t know if it’s good or bad thing. We know trump quite well and he’s like a celebrity in American culture, but Kamala is more of a mystery. We only know Kamala the politician not as Kamala the person. We don’t know what she’s like what she thinks. She’s been in positions of power that don’t allow you to get you to know someone like that. She’s harder to figure out.
Fellow English teacher:
She is less harmful, and a better candidate than trump, and I’d take that risk any day. But, if the other candidate wasn’t Trump, I’d be more afraid to vote for her. I’m a afraid she might act as a trojan horse to promote harmful laws and policies as she is a women and a women of color.
Fellow history teacher:
I like her. I would like someone more liberal, but she’s pretty center. But better than trump.
3: opinions on the 2024 presidential debate
Fellow English teacher:
Kamala has good points and Trump was unusually poised, not as violent and offensive as he was with Biden, so he managed himself pretty well. Kamala has relatable points, empathy I suppose, so she probably gained support from that.
Fellow history teacher:
Trumps a terrible debater, he doesn’t know anything. He tries to talk around anything he doesn’t know, so, circumlocution, and there’s a lot of fluff. It’s hard to say if you disagree with the stuff he says or not. He doesn’t go Here’s some policy points, he just says the economy is bad so I’ll make it better and I will.
Fellow student:
I’m not too into involved in politics but there’s a clear, big division between the two sides (republicans and democrats). It’s over the top, too personal, and overwhelming.
4: Voting and democracy as a whole
Fellow history teacher:
Democracy is a very old concept. Most of the countries that are trying to use it are still working on the model from 1700. Democracy is good but needs to be updated to a modern context. For other countries trying to imitate it they did it whenever their monarchy fell. For America, it’s especially not working, and voting is the reason it’s not working. The founders never really envisioned a future where everyone was voting. Back then, only a few people would vote. Mostly rich people and white men. The ways elections are calculated and voting districts are created is based on ideas that don’t work anymore.
Fellow history teacher:
I grew up in democracy, so I value it more. I’m not under the impression that it’s perfect there’s a lot of flaws. I like the self-corrective measures in it like checks and balances. But democracy is not failing, it’s just political tension and lack of class (bad manners in politics), but that doesn’t mean there’s a weakening of the democratic process. Nasty doesn’t mean it’s not functioning well. If we have to change anything it’s American culture that needs to change. It’s sick.
Fellow economics teacher:
Voting is a “yes” and is a good idea. But I don’t like how it’s limited to two parties, so it becomes more like a sports competition. It’s like “you vs. me” and it becomes really personal. It’s about sides and the objective is no longer for the country. Like a popularity contest. So, by-partisan and political systems are… not good.
Fellow student:
Is it truly a democracy? The power goes to the rich mostly, and the people think they have a democracy.