Dear readers,
In the troubling times the US is going through, I ask for your time to reflect on our next steps in search of a more egalitarian society under the Trump administration. Hopefully, our community will be able to continue fighting for change through our mobilization and unification.
Coming to the US, I was quick to realize how fragmented the left is in the nation. In my country, Brazil, our history and socioeconomic background explain our polarized political scenario. The concentration of wealth in the Brazilian elite, in addition to the military dictatorship in the 1960s through the 1980s, strengthened the neoliberal right wing, but also well-established the left wing, which has its problems but is far bigger and more united than in the US. Here, however, the division between left and right becomes more and more blurry.
With the presidential election results, there is a strong tendency from Democrats to blame voters for not engaging enough, voting third party, speaking up against genocide, etc. Nevertheless, blaming the radical left is absolutely ineffective when approaching the systemic issues the US faces. This segregation between what the people of the US generally consider “left” and the radicals only allows the Democratic Party to turn further to the right.
In the American two-party system, the fragmentation of the left cannot happen. The division will only make our fight weaker. We must hold the heads of state accountable for representing the people and defending our rights, and to do so, mobilization is key. I recognize I speak from an outside point of view as a non-US citizen at Notre Dame, but it is clear to me that for change to take place anywhere, we must unite.
I wish to express how we, as a highly educated youth, can help others to understand how neoliberalism fails our population. There is no such thing as “not enjoying politics” or passively choosing battles when it best suits you, as so many of the people around us believe. We must engage for all, even when it doesn’t directly benefit the individual, and we must share our knowledge to the greatest extent.
I ask you to engage, study, learn, and teach politics as your civic duty: not because it’s fun, not because we like it, but because we care. Research, debate, share, and guide the people around you through your expectations of a better future within the socialist critique. Our mobilization for education and politicization is a necessary step for significant change to take place, as change is the only way to guarantee the representation of the people in government.
Thank you.
