Sanshray Vakkalagadda Week 5 - Felons for President?
Soulja Boy for president. A rapper with a criminal record. Charged for carrying a loaded firearm in public. Donald Trump is our current president. A man with over 34 felony charges. Something that would bar him from many jobs. Both men, if not for their fame or their current work, would likely not be able to find a stable, well-paying job; and yet, both men can be, and are, serious political candidates. What has America’s democracy turned into?
Donald Trump is the US’s very first president with a felony charge, and this sets a dangerous precedent for the future. Soulja Boy has multiple charges for being out in public with loaded firearms. Both of these men have made many posts and comments on the characters of other people in especially degrading manners. It is almost our turn to be adults, and in turn, almost our turn to begin voting. Is this the precedent we want to follow? Should we be okay with disrespectful people as President? Should we be okay voting CONVICTED CRIMINALS into one of the highest seats of power in the United States?
Hi Sanshray! I liked the topic you chose for this blog as it covered a very relevant and important topic. The hook also immediately captured my attention.
ReplyDeleteIn today’s society, I often find it difficult to distinguish what is real or fake due to the media’s strong influence. The amount of access that elites and governments have to media platforms grows increasingly concerning. I’ve heard about the memetic warfare tactics that powerful groups use to decrease the significance of serious issues. This kind of manipulation worries me because I have noticed myself being influenced by propaganda at times. It is incredibly easy for people to be swayed by the media when videos and clips can be edited, combined, and taken out of context, making it difficult to know what is actually true.
Overall, I hope our society can unite and figure out how to fix these problems–possibly starting with the re-election of a president with no felonies.
Hi Sanshray! I hope you are having a great day. I think your blog touches on a point that American politics seems to be in denial about. At least in my opinion, I think we are seeing a scary trend in legitimately convicted felons running for office. In Texas, Senate candidate Ken Paxton has been indicted, investigated by the FBI, given a plea deal to a pedophile, and been ousted by his own party. In Colorado, governor candidate Victor Marx has admitted to having murdered multiple people, yet these are still people we trust to run as good faith candidates. I really like how your blog points out the irony by using the example of Soulja Boy. Everyone would think it was absolutely ludicrous if Soulja Boy ran for president due to his criminal record, but as you compare him to Donald Trump, our sitting president, those similarities become a lot less humorous. Similarly, America is no stranger to rappers running for president, Sanshray, you have to watch Kanye's ad for president! It's hilarious. I agree with you, America needs someone who we can actually trust, it should not be so difficult to find a politician that does not have a shrouded past. They often say, "With great power come with great responsibility". I think we should change that to "With great power comes even greater integrity", only downside mine is not as catchy.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I’ve joked about multiple times is that America is the land of many things, but one of them is having pedophiles or criminals in prominent political positions. I’ve also mentioned to friends and family how disturbing it is to have criminals, people who would discard us in an instant for more wealth, as people representing us in government. Something my parents (my mom specifically I think?) said in response is that the extreme number of criminals in upper positions of government is due to their willingness to be more ruthless in achieving affluence.
ReplyDeleteThe other day, actually, I also was googling how other countries viewed the US. Overall, many countries thought of us negatively, with an average rate of 23% positive thinking, at least according to that one site. While I’m not sure how reliable the data is, it paints a stark picture of how bad America’s reputation has gotten due to these people leading us. We need to have changes to our society and actually have good people rule over us and represent us in society.
Hi Sanshray! I really like how you brought up the ridiculous double standards in the work environment. It's crazy that an ordinary person can get turned down for an entry-level job or lose their right to vote over a felony record, yet there's no rule keeping someone with 34 felony convictions from becoming the President of the United States.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that celebrity status can bypass and even exceed the qualifications that regular people would require for normal everyday jobs shows how much politics has turned into pure entertainment. When fame matters more than character, we can only be forced to look at the fight for the highest position of our country as a reality show instead of a massive responsibility.
Your point about new technology and global tensions makes this even worse to think about. We're moving into an era where we need to start prioritizing decision-making and critical-thinking skills well above internet popularity—which, unfortunately neither of these candidates seem to foster. As our generation gets ready to vote, I think recognizing how absurd these double standards are is the first step towards demanding actual leaders.
Hi Sanshray! I really liked reading your blog because you brought up a super interesting and uncomfortable question about modern American politics.
ReplyDeleteIt’s crazy to think about how much the standard for leadership has shifted especially because we the people have the legal right to remove anyone who we do not find qualified. Like you pointed out, for almost any regular corporate or public job, having a criminal record or facing major felony charges would immediately remove you from the applicant pool. Yet when it comes to the presidency, a position with one of the greatest responsibilities in the world with so much of the control over the nation’s future, the requirements seem almost entirely dictated by fame, influence, and media presence rather than character or a clean record, things that in my opinion, seem to always come first.
I think this pattern is super common not just for the federal and real life roles but also for in school ones. Getting into officer positions and clubs require a really thoughtful process of filling out an application and constant participation, while more leadership roles like student council are often based on connections and popularity.
Your point about needing strong, respectable leaders who can think critically and represent America on a global stage really stood out to me, especially as we get closer to being eligible to vote ourselves. It raises the major question about whether we’re letting political spectacles and celebrity culture overshadow actual integrity and leadership skills and if we actually want a better economic future or just a good time. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with the latter, I feel like responsibility should be chosen by responsible voters who judge solely on character and records.