Why the 2016 election has been a disaster for everyone
The United States of America has always been a democratic republic. The presidential election comes around every four years and the citizens of the United States chose the next president to lead the country for four years. Most elections in the past were usually quiet affairs where people would go to the polls on Election Day and decide the next leader usually without much banter. This year has been a major exception to the rule as drama between the candidates has taken the spotlight over any proposed policy for the nation. As the election has gone on, we have heard less about the plans both Clinton and Trump have for the country and more about the apocalypse. I have three examples that all came at different points in the election. Despite the examples I am about to present, I have friends on both sides of the political spectrum and I will not generalize either side. The three examples all are proof of true division between people I know because of a truly terrible election.The first example that showed something was wrong came after the Democratic Convention ended. In my neighborhood, Clinton signs started to pop up though Trump signs were still much more frequent. I was walking my dog one morning per usual routine when I came upon a heated argument between two people a few blocks from me. One of them had a Trump sign in his yard while the other one had a Clinton sign next door at his house. I initially did not pay attention to it until I heard them screaming at each other. It then got to the point where both signs were torn apart and thrown at each other before other nearby people resolved the conflict and prevented it from getting any more violent. I refused to look on any further and continued on my normal route. However, this was not before I saw the scene unfold into a violent argument that ended the friendship they had for a long time. When I came home after the walk, I was still in shock over all of this though I did not tell my parents or younger sister at the time and still have kept it that way. I made the mistake of dismissing it as only a singular incident whenever there was more to come later on.
The second example came in September in the beginning of the school year. This was after Hillary Clinton delivered her infamous "basket of deplorables" comment during a speech she gave. I was sitting in a study hall towards the end of the school day when the study hall monitor/Honors Chemistry teacher and a few students started arguing about the election. I did not pay attention as the students were at the bottom of the academic ladder, were not my friends, and were usually badly behaved which came as no surprise to me. What I did not expect was the teacher raising her voice against the students because she was called a "commie slut" by the students who supported Trump. Unlike the previous incident, I spoke up against the students as they were being loud and obnoxious in the process. The argument turned to me as they went and said that I was a "gay racist" which had nothing to do with the argument in the first place. I called them out for being hypocritical and they went and told me to "kill yourself." Luckily, the principle came and sent them to detention based on what the teacher told him. I sat down knowing that something was truly wrong with the hostile reaction I had just got and what the teacher had received in the process. We both talked and agreed that something was wrong with those students. I went home that day and while not telling anyone about it except for some close friends, I now had less hope for this election.
The final example came after the leaked tape about Trump and his sexually charged comments about how he was a star and could get away with it. I was sitting in my AP European History class with a friend of mine who supports Trump. Neither of us brought up the tape as we were finishing a project that was due the next day. The bell rang and we both went up to AP Statistics as we both had the class in the same period. As we were walking, he was quickley attacked for wearing a Trump shirt by a student who hated him. The angry student who knew him from somewhere else attacked him calling him a "sexist, racist, bigot" and told him he should not wear his shirt. I told her he could wear whatever he wanted even if it is something that could be controversial. She then went and called me a hypocrite for defending him when I called her out for on the idea that she is always right. She then went and tried to get a teacher on us for being "mean" which didn't work since we both walked into our class which she did not follow us. During class, we couldn't believe what had happened earlier and I told him that this is what will ruin the nation. We agreed on that and went to our next classes at the bell. Coming home from school that day, I knew that it was hopeless for any reasonable debate between the people that I knew and decided to not bring up politics unless it was with family or close friends.
Those incidents are why I hope for a peaceful end regardless of who wins November 8th. I do not think that it is worth it to fight over something that can possibly split up family and close friends and, is only temporary in the overall grand scheme of things. I am also completely burned out of the fact that the election is all I hear about sometimes which is why I'm happy to receive any distractions from it such as music, video games, and even schoolwork. At this point, I'm suprised that my school still wants to have a mock election on November 7th despite the aforementioned incidents as well as other ones in different parts of the country. I only want the best for the United States of America and for this election to be over soon including the post election drama that will follow. At this point, I don't care as much about political issues anymore and I am suffering from election burnout. Hopefully, things will be ok in the future.