Yes, 2018 Is Coming Around and Yes, Racism Is Still In Your Face

     I have to say I completely agree with Niha on her most recent blog post. Some people tend to see racism as an ongoing and pervasive condition of life, and others think of it as individual actions or attitudes of intolerance toward those who hold different opinions. But in general, racism means a set of institution that results in the oppression of the colored people based on a conscious belief in racial superiority.

     What forms this is the ongoing generalizations that support the overly common racial assumptions which persist in the society. Racism shapes society's assumptions about who deserves success and who does not, whose culture should be respected or not; all of it based on the first glance at one's skin color, last name and/or religion. Sure we've come a long way since the "separate but equal" society America used to know, and segregated schools are no longer a thing. However, the effects can still be observed everywhere today, made even simpler by the national government. According to an overview of the 115th U.S. Congress, as of January 2017, the Congress is the most racially diverse in history. Although, of the 535 members, only 9.6% of the membership are African Americans, 8.5% are Hispanics/Latinos, and 3.3% are Asian/Pacific Islander ancestry. This racial distribution of the U.S. Congress alone is enough to reflect what's going on. A United Nations committee has just recently called on the U.S. government to unequivocally and unconditionally reject and condemn racist hate speech and crimes, following a deadly white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

    If not addressed, this will continue to worsen. People have been and will keep denying its existence.

Trump's Era, a Temporary Aberration

    A lot of people are desperately trying to make sense of Trump’s presidency. Many other countries are closely watching his actions. Some people believe this era led by him is an anomaly that will not last long. They have a theory that this Trump phenomenon can be suppressed without doing lasting damage to the United States, because there will long-lasting effects presented by his key players, not Trump himself.  The somewhat optimistic view, although premature, is one of the last glimmers of hope that we have to hold on to.

    It is pointed out that the fear that the President would swiftly sweep away American democracy have faded, compared to its initial stronghold, moments nearing his election. President Trump's predictable behavior remains erratic and outrageous, but it certainly does not look like a plan that is consistent enough to destabilize the country’s democracy.

    America's major institutions have also risen to the challenge, knowing Trump’s administrations will have effects on them. The courts were able to give a hand in striking him down, one of which is the early version of Trump's travel ban. The press has also been observing relentlessly in its pursuit of his malpractice.  It started after the unnecessary dismissal of the former FBI Director James Comey , which happened immediately after the FBI started an investigation into the 2016 election regarding Russian involvement. Now recently, Health and Human Services Secretary, Tom Price, was found to have spent more than US$1 million of government money on his private jets. The result of his extensive use of chartered flights? Trump’s health chief’s neither sacked nor imprisoned, he’s only forced to resign.

     As of now, President Trump's approval ratings have sunken even lower. His failure to deliver the promises he declared during his election has led many to conclude that he is extremely unlikely to be re-elected. His victory last year demonstrated that the majority of the public indeed does not support him, as proven by Clinton swamping him in popular vote.

     The fact that President Trump has demonstrated that there is still room for one of his key players, the most notable one being the low-profile Steve Bannon, his former chief strategist. Although, Trump declared in a post interview, “I am my own strategist,”. Bannon’s role was downplayed, but that doesn’t mean his influence will cease to exist. Many believe that Bannonism has the capability of growing into a movement that outlasts President Trump. Although Bannon runes a fairly low-profile, he has been immensely influential. With the agenda he had prepared, he will have a lasting influence on Trump's administration.