VENKAT: Our politicians' standards
The internet has given us open access to the intimate details of other people's lives. This view into the imperfect lives of celebrities, whom we hold to a standard of perfection, makes them infinitely more prone to getting "canceled" than in previous eras.
The social limit to cancellation, though, exists in a very odd sphere — the political realm. Politicians nowadays seem untouchable in the real world, save for a few rude remarks on the internet.
It seems that we fail to hold even the president of the U.S. to the same standards we hold celebrities to — presidents have been convicted of and admitted to their own fair share of atrocities, but we elect and re-elect them. They can make significantly more mistakes than fashion icons and movie stars. Yet, if God forbid an artist fails to behave more perfectly than the average president, we make an effort to abandon their creations.
As a prime example, former President Donald J. Trump became the first former president of the U.S. to have been convicted of a felony crime. He was found guilty of more than 30 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal his payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and cover up his affair with her.
This is far from the only controversy the former president has been involved in during his time in the political spotlight. From threatening to attack heritage sites to encouraging Americans to inject bleach to fight off COVID-19, Trump has had his fair share of interesting moments. This is not groundbreaking news.
What is mind-blowing is the fact that this is the third time we are considering him for the position of president. Surprisingly, more than 40 percent of Americans still hold a favorable view of Trump. Should a pop artist or an actor have a third of the scandals that our presidential candidate has had, we would have already written them off and vowed to never play their tracks or watch their movies again.
How, then, are we as a society OK with allowing the sum total of 50 controversial artists to run for president a third time? It is a serious issue that we seem to hold musical artists to a higher standard of perfection and political correctness than we do an American president. This will only create ripples into more prevalent issues for society in the future.
Beyond the havoc that a second Trump term is sure to wreak, this sets a precedent for future generations and future elections, suggesting that we will elect anyone who comes our way. This was evident in Kanye West's short-lived bid for the presidency.
If an already problematic public figure with little to do with the realm of politics can unironically announce that they intend to run for president, does that not open the playing field for anyone to do so? Even though he was canceled as a figure in music, there was still the minority that supported his candidacy.
The election process, in the minds of many Americans, has been lowered to a battle of choosing the lesser evil. Where most people do not have starkly polarized Liberal or Conservative political viewpoints, they are forced to choose the candidate they believe to be slightly more aligned with their interests than the others. Candidates that people may not see as fit to lead the country may be the only candidates in the running.
An individual who may feel neutral about most issues in the political realm is forced to choose sides on issues that do not affect them, which is likely to create a flawed depiction of the average citizen's views. Political polarization is forced upon neutral parties through a two-party system, creating an illusion of choice.
Even though the presidential race may seem like a joke at the moment, with the way the news portrays the candidates and the seeming lack of seriousness about the future of our country, it is imperative that we do not treat it like one. Both the short- and long-term implications of a poor choice in candidates will take their toll on the U.S.
Tejaswini Venkat is a first-year in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in biological sciences and minoring in psychology. Venkat's column, “Unsolicited Opinions,” runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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