As we wait for the US Consulate Election party to start at Ulster University, Belfast, here are some young opinions.
Ulster MA Journalism student Rebekah Wilson has been garnering opinion on the election from some young Americans…..
By Rebekah Wilson
It has been a dramatic few months of campaigning for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. In under 24 hours one will be the new American President.
But why has it ended with these two as the options?
“On the 9th of November, we will have a president that no one wanted”, stated Jack Hanson, a 21-year-old American studying at Liverpool University.
He said, “It’s all about money. It’s all about who has the most and who can spread enough of their propaganda at one time. This whole election has been nothing to do with the people of America.”
I also spoke to Cody Peck from Boston. A 22-year-old who is currently studying in Massachusetts. He explained, “I feel there are many Americans who feel like we don’t really have a candidate for President that we truly believe, or believe in.”
Hanson and Peck agreed that they are having to choose the ‘best of a bad bunch.’ They also agreed that the young voters didn’t have a voice in this election.
Peck remarked that young voters have “lost our voices…scandals and entertainment are shown as the real issues. Not talking about the racism, unemployment, crumbling infrastructure, Mental Health Awareness in our country.”
The lost voice of an entire generation that will be hit hardest by this election fear that either Clinton or Trump will change nothing but engage in “petty arguments”
Hanson added, “I am an American and I am ashamed of where this election has gone. Why did we let it go this far?”
What do they hope will happen after this election?
Peck – “I just hope Americans, like me, rise up within the next four years and demand a real change, and let us have a government that truly represents all of us.”
Hanson – “I don’t know. You can love the country and disagree with the politics. I don’t know what goddamn flag Trump is flying but it ain’t mine. This country is freedom. I hope it comes back to that one day.”
Young Americans living in and out of USA are finding that this election has promoted nothing they’ve desired and they hope there will be change in four years.
But the majority have no trust in either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.
“Make America great again? Neither of them could do that if they tried.”