Our Current Socio-Political Climate and the Election

    Recently, our class did a project for speech about some of the most pressing topics in the current election. Although, I plan on briefly touching on everyone's projects, my main goal in this blog will be conveying my personal opinion on these topics and the current election. Truthfully, most of the time my mind is filled with political brain rot as it's one of the only things I think about. That's why I'm a political science major and why this project is so important to me. Obviously, this election season has been incredibly historic and incredibly stressful. All in all, it's felt a little bit like a race to the bottom between Trump and Kamala.

Group 4 Gender Equality   

    Starting off the presentations was group four and they discussed "Gender Equality". They brushed up on many important topics such as workplace discrimination, cultural norms, and stereotypes. Unsurprisingly, gender inequality has forever been an issue in the United States. As a woman who grew up in the Midwest of the United States, I can give a plethora of first hand accounts. Sadly, almost every single woman has been faced with harassment, discrimination, and/or setbacks all due to being a woman. Obviously, a major issue in the United States currently is the overturning of Roe vs Wade and how it's limited abortion access for women across the country. This has lead to the death of women who required emergency abortion access but wouldn't receive due to the overturning. But, this is far from the only setback women are faced with. A major one is the idea that women are meant to be housewives and caretakers and they won't be fulfilled unless they fill this role. Harrison Butker, an NFL player, recently gave a speech at a college graduation ceremony telling the women that they have been lied to. “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world,” Butker, 28, said. “I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and a mother.” That's such a disgusting message, especially at a college graduation. Obviously, discrimination gets increasingly worse for Hispanic, Asian, Native, Black, Muslim and trans women. Trans women aren't accepted as women by many. Muslim women have to deal with serious islamophobia especially against their hijabs. Black women are 40% more likely to die during child birth due to medical discrimination. Native women's third leading cause of death is murder. Asian women are stereotyped to be docile and subservient leading to more attacks against these women. However, this doesn't dismiss men from the hardships of gender inequality. Men expressing healthy emotion and communication is frowned upon and seen as "unmanly" This has led to the rise of people like Andrew Tate who infiltrate male dominated spaces and prey on their insecurities. In turn, this is leading to a right wing swing among young white men.

Group 3 The Electorate and the Election Process

    On the next class day, group three covered the electorate and the election process. They covered the history, public opinion, the electorate process, and other important information. Currently, voter fraud is a huge topic, especially with the lie that the election was stolen being spread. The fact of the matter is there is a marginal effect from voter fraud. Yes, voter fraud does happen and there isn't really a way to eliminate it completely, but it isn't enough to change the outcome of an election. However, this doesn't mean there isn't issues with out election process. A major issue is lobbying, or more so how it is used to basically pay for legislation. Then, there's gerrymandering or redistricting, which is a huge issue here in Florida and I believe a good reason Ron DeSantis is in office now. That's not to mention voter suppression that still goes on to this day.

Group 2 Education

    Group 2 covered education in the United States. They reviewed different education policies and associations. Let's be honest, the United States education system leaves much to be desired, especially in recent years. Honestly, a large majority of the spread of false information could be attributed to our faulty education system. In recent years, book ban's have been a hot topic as conservatives try to wipe any LGBTQ+ and critical race theory books from school shelves. There have been over 10,000 book bans in the United States since 2021. Furthermore, states like Florida are going as far as banning and restricting the teaching of critical race theory. Truthfully, I'm not sure what we need but I know that our education system needs a reform but not a removal, like what Project 2025 calls for.

Group 1 Immigration

    Finally, my group, group 1, covered Immigration. We went over different types of immigration as well as the historical overview. Immigration is one of the most pressing issues in the United States at this current moment, but not for the reasons you may think. Currently, there is widespread misinformation coming from both sides of the isle. During the vice presidential debate, J.D. Vance started the immigration discussion by pushing the idea that undocumented immigrants are committing mass crime. Unfortunately, Walz did not push back on this narrative, but in his defense, the democratic party never does. The truth is in fact the opposite, statistics show that undocumented immigrants commit less crime than their U.S. born counterparts. Furthermore, the VP candidates agreed on the fact that the fentanyl crisis is caused by undocumented migrants trafficking it into the United States. Again, this is easily disproven the facts show that only .02% of those detained at the border for illegally crossing  were found in possession of any fentanyl. Alternatively, 90% of fentanyl is seized from U.S. citizens at legal points of entry. This fear mongering against immigrants is so incredibly frustrating especially because we have empirical evidence against it. Immigrants, both documented and undocumented, are vital to our society and enriching to our culture. Furthermore, immigrants statistically pay more in taxes than they will ever receive in benefits or social safety nets. I understand why Republicans would continue the same racist rhetoric as they have for decades now, but I don't understand what Democrats have to gain in not challenging it. 

Conclusion

    That wraps up the presentations as well as my basic thoughts and opinions. Honestly, this just scratches the surface of these topics and our current world issues. The Palestinian genocide, global warming, poverty, police brutality, and racial discrimination are problems that are also incredibly important to me. The current state of our world and our country are greatly distressing. I whole heartedly believe that the United States is quickly bouldering towards fascism. That is why this election is so detrimental to our country.