In The Waldo Moment, a fictional blue bear
reluctantly tries his hand at politics and surprisingly finds success. This
success is due to the fact that Waldo appeals to a group of voters who feel
disconnected to the current political situation and estranged from their
representatives in government. These voters are disenfranchised from the
political system and are tired of the corrupt politicians their country’s
system has to offer. This marginalized group feels as though their voices have
not been heard and their economic needs are not being listened to by the
current people that are in office. They are desperately searching for someone
to put the interests of the people above their own self-interests and to dare
to challenge the political machine that currently exists in their country.
While watching this film, I could not help but think
of both the campaigns of Vermont Senator, Bernie Sanders and Business mogul and
reality TV Star, Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Although the
ideas of their political movements are pretty much polar opposite, their
followers both see the political system as rigged and feel that their country
is heading in the wrong direction. They see hope in the movements of their
candidates and believe that they are the answer to correcting the corruption
that is happening in America’s current political system.
This article from the New York Times, published
before the results of the primary election, predicts that both Sanders’ and
Trump’s campaigns will greatly shape the outcome of the election and
acknowledges that both campaign's subscribers are angry with the political system for different reasons. Sanders' fans are frustrated by the corruption of "big banks and economic inequality" their political leaders have allowed to run rampant.
- Senator Sanders begins his official campaign video by calling out the billionaire class and telling them that they can’t have it all and then goes on to explain how he plans to put an end to the corruption of big banks and the elite in our country. His campaign is a movement teeming with promise of economic equity and financial justice.
- In another video, Bernie lists the extensive amount of unjust economic happenings in this country and proclaims that “there is no justice when so few have so much and so many have so little.
The article goes on to acknowledge that Trump supporters are upset with current career politicians and their relaxed policies when dealing with unlawful immigration and terroristic threats.
- Trump’s official campaign video announces his movement geared towards replacing “ failed and corrupt political establishment with a new government controlled by the American people”
- In another video, Trump calls out the corrupt relationship between the media and politics and says that “The Washington establishment and the financial and media corporations that fund it exist for only one reason: to protect and enrich itself”
1 comment:
In a country as large as the United States of America, it is not hard to assert that a large portion of the voting population (or those eligible to vote) feel disconnected (and even dissatisfied) with the presidential elections. Political candidates are charged with the task of unifying the entire country and frankly, I don't believe that can be made a reality. You seem to address this point in your post, and I liked your insights regarding President-Elect Trump and Senator Sanders.
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