An Appeal to Reason

This archived article was written by: Nathaniel Woodward

I’ve always enjoyed this time of year, the first of September always brings the excitement of new possibilities. For many it comes in the form of the start of a new academic year, a time where, after a period, they will emerge more knowledgable and better equipped to conquer the inimitable possibilities which reside in the future. I wanted to write an article giving advice for those hesitant to take on the challenge, I wanted to write an article promoting the values of academic achievement, I wanted to write an article reminding students to believe in themselves and rely on a staff and faculty who truly care about their success. But I just can’t do that.

Over the many months of an election cycle that at first, seemed to hold the possibility of honest dialogue and exciting ideas, mutated into a quagmired idealogical slugfest mired down by personal attacks and excessive hyperbole. After the partisan processes took their respective courses, a candidate emerged trumpeting the horns of fear, isolation and hate. I took my time to write this, separating out the thoughts I wanted to write from the those I should and above all, understand this, this piece is not advocating for any other candidate, Its simply an appeal to reason.

After nearly a decade of pointless hate and unsupportable banter from a party who’s propaganda no longer represent their founder’s vision, their intended creation turned on them and took the form of Frankenstein’s political monster. Blame has been the counterpoint to every argument and fear its rallying call. Racism, fascism, bigotry and misogyny reemerged from the annals of our shameful past and found willing ears on those who sought to assuage their pretended fears in order to justify the boogyman painted by pundits who’s views aligned with their own. Or so they thought.

Our president, a perfectly decent, educated and patriotic man, took the brunt of the undeserved hostility while in the shadows, their eventual respondent waited to take his place. Just as the moment was right, the nominee came forward and applied his research brilliantly to exploit the unjustifiable hatred, garnering passionate support. A seasoned con-artist whose success depended on the ritualistic abuse of others and the loss of tremendous amounts of other’s money, did what he always has done, manipulated and lied. A man who has settled fraud lawsuits hundreds of times and has the gall to call his opponents “liars” and “crooks,” while by his own admission is in fact, a liar and a crook.

So here we stand, a few short months away from the election and a hefty majority feel extremely uneasy given the nature of the political process of the last decade. That’s not only understandable, but reasonable. What’s not reasonable is the candidate who is so desperate for power would exploit the fears of so many. Remember this, fear is easy, the lazy way out. I’m not afraid to sign my name to my words, I’m not afraid of this election. I have hope in a nation whose founding ideals promoted a place where liberty was guaranteed, not only to those who happen to be expelled from a birth canal geographically within its borders, but to all those who sought those liberties.

This appeal to reason comes at a time where, neither of the two-major candidates running are perfectly ideal, but only one is endorsed by the KKK, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Il. One’s platform is based on the hatred and fear against a significant portion of the planet’s inhabitants. One’s rhetoric calls for less education and more isolation. One’s own words call for the death of those who disagree. One states he is pro-second amendment, but demonstrates an incredible distain for the first, a much more dangerous proposition if history has anything to say about it. Still, a great many will justify his candidacy by fooling themselves that “one is as bad as the other,” a notion devoid of evidence and rooted in fear. Again, I am not advocating a vote for any one particular candidate, I’m advocating voting for any other candidate.

This November, I’m not looking for a candidate who’s going to do anything for me, I don’t need that, I take care of me. I’m looking for a candidate who is going to do things for those who can’t. Those who try and fail and those who wake up every day not knowing how many more they will have because they can’t afford food, shelter or healthcare. Many who read this will disagree with what I wrote, some will use the same tired rhetoric blasted from the idealogical foghorns for the past decade and some will attack me personally. Go for it, I can take it because I’m not afraid of dissent and not afraid of opposition. This is my appeal to reason and I implore the American people to look farther into the future and beyond their own troubles to a place where other’s lives matter just as much as their own. I hope to see you all there.