Articulated Insight – “News, Race and Culture in the Information Age”
America has just completed one of the most stressful and historic presidential cycles in history.
In an interview with NBC News a few days before the election, Vaile Wright, with the American Psychological Association, said, “We are seeing the highest levels of election-related stress.”
“Our brains are basically threat detectors,” says Bryan Sexton, a psychologist and Director of the Duke Center for the Advancement of Well-being Science in Durham, North Carolina. “If you’re feeling stressed, it simply means you are paying attention,” Sexton continued.
It is common for each presidential election to be deemed as “the most important in the history of the Republic.” However, without question, the presidential election of November 5 was the most important one since our founding in 1776.
Never has any candidate – Democratic or Republican – been as divisive and a threat to American Democracy as former President Donald J. Trump. He wins, hands down.
America has never had a president impeached twice, much less in one term.
Before Trump, when was the last time America had a nominee of either major party run as a convicted sex offender, indicted 34 times, facing an addicting 54 indictments? Never.
Until Vice President Kamala Harris, the first and only female to hold this office, America never had as a presidential nominee a Black woman of Asian and Jamaican descent.
No other White House occupant running for reelection, except Presidents Joe Biden and Lyndon B. Johnson, have excused themselves from the race to bring unity to a fractured Democratic Party.
The campaign will be remembered for a few brave Republicans, like former Rep. Liz Cheney, who, recognizing him as a threat to democracy, endorsed the vice president.
It will also be remembered for those who were too cowardly to do so, like former President George W. Bush.
The choice for America was the prosecutor vs the prosecuted.
So, why was this such a difficult choice for our country?
Because racism is alive and well in this country.
