After running the most racist and divisive campaign that America has seen since 1968, Donald Trump is dangerously close to becoming President.
While most national polls show Hillary Clinton with a solid lead, the margin is still too close for comfort in many states. Trump does still have a path to victory, no matter how narrow it may be.
This should be a horrifying fact for believers in American democracy.
If people who share common sense and a notion of basic decency don’t show up to the polls today, we could elect an authoritarian as our leader.
Our very Republic is in dire danger.
We are not in the business of endorsing candidates at RISE NEWS.
But Donald Trump is the greatest internal threat that this nation has faced in modern history.
His lack of knowledge of American history and how our Constitution works is troubling.
His stoking of white nationalism and racial hatred is un-American.
His foreign policy would put us in league with dictators and despots the world over as his isolationism is mixed with a virulent form of imperialism.
His lack of compassion and basic human empathy profoundly scares us.
He is more sociopath than political leader.
His treatment of women shows us how much of a pig he truly is- a relic that should be thrown on the trash-heap of history, not allowed to lead the most dynamic nation into a new decade.
His conspiracy theories are manifold.
In Trump’s mind, climate change is a Chinese conspiracy, Barack Obama was born in Kenya, Mexico intentionally sends rapist and murderers to undermine American security and Hillary Clinton engages in nightly satanic rituals.
He is a man who has gaslighted America and lied more than a junkie trying to get a fix.
He has retweeted white supremacists, embraced a hate symbol and has been endorsed by the Klu Klux Klan.
He got into a fight with the Pope.
He has attacked journalists and the bedrock Constitutional right of a free press by promising to open up libel laws.
He has made fun of the disabled because he is a heartless thug who cares about nothing more than settling scores.
Despite his self-proclaimed massive wealth, there is no record of him giving much away to charity.
He has no real ideology, doesn’t study the issues and can’t even be trusted with a Twitter account.
He is a strongman and yet still a weak little child.
The American Putin, the Mugabe of Manhattan.
He has debased our politics, darkened our glow on the global stage and showed our children that character doesn’t matter as long as you have money.
As Jefferson said once, “Tyranny is defined as that which is legal for the government but illegal for the citizenry.”
Trump has already done so many things that the rest of us would never be able to get away with.
If elected as President, he would do the same.
Except then, he would have nuclear weapons.
SAVE THE REPUBLIC. BEAT TRUMP TODAY.
Cover Photo Credit: Jake Cvnningham/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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Miami Beats Duke In Most Amazing Ending To A College Football Game Ever
Dear God. That is all we can really say about the way that Miami beat Duke 30 to 27. Last second. 8 laterals. No penalties. Lots of sad Duke fans.
This will go down as one of the greatest endings to a football game ever.
Miami pulled off about 25 Music City Miracles in one kickoff return to beat Duke (Video via @barstooltweets) pic.twitter.com/VwVykqt9t8
— NOT SportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) November 1, 2015
WATCH: UM players after beating Duke in walk off incredible kickoff return
Cover Photo Credit: Screenshot/ ESPN (Youtube)
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Steve Harvey And The “Emasculation of Asian Men”
We all know the stereotype.
We’re all familiar with the trope.
Asian men just aren’t “desirable.”
Our frames are too delicate.
Our mannerism aren’t “masculine.”
And of course, our penises are just too small.
All of these sentiments are well echoed in the entertainment industry.
Asian men are rarely cast in a leading role because who would want to watch a movie about an Asian guy?
More often than not, we’re relegated to a mere sidekick usually for a desirable, white protagonist.
But, it’s not just the entertainment industry that plays into this stereotype.
Steve Harvey, too, has reified this idea that Asian men just aren’t worth it with some racist “jokes” that he made this past January.
In sum, he stated, in reference to a 2002 book called How to Date a White Woman: A Practical Guide for Asian Men (which is a whole different can of worms in and of itself), that “there’s just no way someone could be attracted to Asian men” all while laughing uncontrollably.
Now, while Steve Harvey’s clearly racist remarks deserve to be rifled through with a fine-toothed comb (and has been), I want to focus not on his remarks, but the reaction of his remarks among Asian-American men who were rightfully offended by his words.
The most notable voice that comes to mind is an article written by Eddie Huang titled “Hey, Steve Harvey, Who Says I Might Not Steal Your Girl?.”
In the article, Huang goes in on Harvey and laments the real, hurtful idea that “women don’t want Asian men.”
Huang is a well-known restaurateur and chief who wrote a book about growing up as an Asian America. The book was later adapted into ABC’s hit tv show Fresh Off The Boat.
Huang makes note of how marginalized people are not afforded the privilege of being whole, complex human beings and comments like the one that Harvey’s made remind Asian men of that.
Moreover, he touches on the “structural emasculation of Asian men in all forms of media… produced an actual abhorrence to Asian men… That’s why this Steve Harvey episode is so upsetting.”
Asian women (and all women for that matter) should not be viewed as things that can be “stolen” by men. Photo Credit: Shawn Perez/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
While I agree with Huang that we as a society need to drop the erroneous notion that Asian men are not worthy partners in any sense, I take issue with the way that Huang, and many other people who think like him, has decided to approach this problem.
First and foremost, the “Mr. Steal Your Girl” reference.
Why are we treating women as objects to be stolen in the first place?
Shouldn’t they have the privilege to be complex human beings?
Why are we approaching this topic from this specific angle?
Also, as an Asian-American man who is impacted by conversations about “Asian (e)masculinity,” I have grown quite tired of this whole mantra behind “masculinizing” Asian men.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I agree that the experiences of Asian men who feel emasculated by society and media ought to be validated.
However, why is masculinity the center of this conversation?
I feel that Asian men exist in all facets outside of feeling “emasculated” and their voices ought to be uplifted as well.
I identify as a feminine, queer Asian-American man, and I do not feel liberated by this rhetoric around “masculinization.”
How does an Asian-American man like me fight into this conversation?
If fighting against Asian emasculation means letting Asian men talk about “stealing” someone’s girl and other low-key misogynistic things while feeling like a “man” about it, then that is not something that I can get behind.
Huang himself has been criticized as someone who exhibits misogynistic language and attitudes and if battling Asian emasculation means advocating for his right to feel “manly” when he jokes with his friends about women, then I cannot stand with him.
Fair and accurate media representation of the Asian-American experience in all forms written by Asian-American folk is something that I can get behind.
But, this centering of masculinity as the end all, be all for representation and desirability of Asian men has got to stop.
This reminds me of the way that people tried to fight against Steve Harvey’s words on Twitter by retweeting photos of masculine presenting Asian men to prove that they thought Asian men were “desirable” and “attractive.”
But, the problem here isn’t that I want people to think that I’m hot.
The problem is that we as a society need to decolonize what we deem as attractive and why.
Furthermore, people like Eddie Huang (though well-intentioned, I’m sure) need to step back and think about who benefits from their advocacy for the Asian-American community, who is left out, and who is negatively affected by what we’re fighting for.
These are the conversations and dialogues that I feel need to be had, and emasculation can exit, stage left.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in the world. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: See-ming Lee/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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The Earth Shook In Haiti And He Left As A Boy. Now He Wants To Go Back And Make Change
This story is part of the “My Story” series by The Young Leaders.
It was a sunny morning in Haiti on January 12, 2010 – the first day of school after winter break.
Lying on my bed, I looked at the trees dancing on the ceiling.
The neighboring rooster crowed as I finally rose, put my knees on the floor and began to pray.
My mother, as always, was cooking eggs.
She spoke to me about education: “Son, you have to do well in school to succeed in life. Life and education are a competition. Please son, do not embarrass me. Avoid the wrong crowd. Promise me that good things will happen. Make your family proud wherever you go.”
The author as a child. Photo Credit: CarlHenry Isidore/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
As she spoke, I wondered why she told me these things.
At the time, I wasn’t mature enough to understand, so I agreed just to make her happy.
A few minutes later, I arrived at school. Already, I had fallen in with the wrong crowd, paid no attention in class, and decided not to do my homework.
After school on that day, I played marbles with friends until one of the elders in the community saw me playing and scolded me to go home and do my homework.
I listened to the elder and went home.
When I got there, my mother asked me, “Where were you?”
I replied, “Outside,” as she shook her head, obviously worried about that I was not following her instructions.
One hour later, the earth started trembling.
I heard a noise like boulders falling from the sky.
Our television and bookshelves fell to the floor.
I was terrified and thought my life would end.
The aftermath of the 2010 Haitian earthquake. Photo Credit: RIBI Image Library (CC BY 2.0)
We tried running away from the house, but the ground was shaking intensely.
I didn’t know what was happening.
Read More: This Miami Icon Doesn’t Want Young Haitians To Lose Their Heritage In The US
I thought about all the advice my mother had given me.
I heard people screaming from outside, running everywhere and trying to save others stuck under demolished houses.
When I got out of the house looking around, I realized my mother and I could have been in the same position.
After the 7.0 shock-wave, my mother, my sister and I walked on the street and saw the catastrophe. Roughly 300,000 people were killed in the event and 1.5 million were displaced.
People had lost their families and everything they owned.
We were too afraid to sleep in the house, scared it would collapse.
We had no choice but to sleep on the street. The streets became beds for everyone when it’s was night-time. Aftershocks shook the ground every five minutes.
A week later, my father came from New York to get my sister and me.
I had never imagined myself leaving Haiti but there was no other choice.
I cried, and hugged my mother tightly.
In tears, I said, “Mother I’m sorry for everything. I will succeed; I will learn English and make you proud.”
My dad smiled.
I realized I would do everything in my power to make my parents proud. That moment would drive me for years to come.
When I came to America, I was ready to excel in school.
The author as a child in Haiti.
I knew no English, and communicating in school was extremely hard.
I started reading and writing to improve my English skills.
I knew I wanted to attend college.
I started working harder in classes, coming to school early every morning to study subjects that I needed to give closed attention, so I would not fall behind students who took their English for granted.
I challenged myself to become better in school by practicing for the SAT on my own and doing extra work in class.
It paid off. By the time high school came, I was in the English Honors class and the National Honor Society.
I started an acting program in high school named DreamYard Art Center. I began acting in plays with the goal of becoming an actor and a director.
I want to continue being successful and I plan on working very hard to accomplish my goals.
These goals have already helped me to achieve things I never imagine I would have achieved, such as acting in front of 300 people.
Read More: Haitian American Communities Have Become The New Focus Of Housing Discrimination Fights
These skills will continue to help me as I pursue my education.
I am currently a junior studying Social Work at CUNY York College.
My goal after achieving my bachelor in social work is to go for my master in education policy.
I want to start my career as a school counselor, however I would like to elevate myself as a principal as time progresses.
After my studies, I want to build a school and an art program like DreamYard Art Center in Haiti for children.
My purpose in pursuing higher education is to succeed in ways victims of the January 2010 Haiti Earthquake only dreamed about, since they never had a chance to make their dreams a reality.
When I succeed, my goal is to start an art program in Haiti for teens that want to pursue their dreams.
This terrible tragedy led me onto the right path and made me focus on my education.
But Haiti is still in my heart. And I’m going back home.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in the world. You can write for us.
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