Society

American Election Is A Clear Demonstration Of Class Struggle

Class struggle in American elections has become a substantive issue that all candidates have become quite aware of. It is not a new phenomenon in America but it has increasingly become a subject of hot contention. This is probably because of the 2007-2008 financial crises that led to a reduction in many people’s incomes and stagnation thereafter. In 2015 the real median income of the majority of households in America stood at $56,516, which was below that of the pre-depression crises period. However, there is nothing that has indicated class struggle as well as the 2016 American election. Experts say that this is a trend that is not about to change in the near future.

A Separation Of The Haves And Have-Nots

While it was easier to sell the American dream a few decades ago, the same can’t be said about the current situation in America. Initially, people who worked hard towards attaining their goals could curve out their piece of the pie in the American dream. However, the same seems not to be working currently.

People feel that the rich are becoming richer by the day while the poor are left to resort to their own means of survival.

This issue was carried along as a hot topic by many candidates in the 2016 election, such as Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and most notably Donald Trump.

Americans wanted to know how they would benefit from each one’s candidacy and how equality of the classes would be restored to the nation. As a result, each candidate was awash with pledges about how they would revive the American dream. The democrats insisted that the rich would have to be taxed more in order for the money to be used in providing efficient services to the middle-class citizens. However, the republicans were of the notion that Americans were better off locking in their resources to themselves.

They insisted that in order for middle-class citizens to enjoy the country’s resources, there was a need to put in place tough regulations that restricted entry of migrants from other countries. Their whole idea was based on the notion that America’s middle- and lower-class citizens are having their jobs and opportunities stolen by migrants.

Middle- And Lower Class Constitute The Most Voters

All candidates understand that the middle- and lower class constitute the largest voting bloc. This means that in order for you to win successfully, you will have to capture the imagination of this class of voters. However, there is the slight issue of funding. Whereas the middle class constitute the largest voting bloc, the rich citizenry are the ones capable of funding the candidates’ election campaigns. This means that each party has to walk the delicate path of pleasing both classes.

Donald Trump, a well-known billionaire, probably won because of this. The middle class understands that candidates also work for the benefit of the rich who bankroll their election campaigns. However, Trump projected the image of a self-sufficient candidate who did not require any financial backing in order to carry out his campaign. He therefore won the hearts and minds of a vast majority of the middle-class segment who wanted someone who would be able to rebuke the rich without any fear of financial repercussions for his own campaign fund.

It remains to be seen whether the next election will remain to be a class struggle, or whether another issue will crop up.

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Trevor Noah Reacts To Trump’s Call To Rough Up Suspects

Trump’s call to officers to rough up suspects during a speech in Long Island, adds to the huge list of controversial statements uttered since he became president. Even press statements from the White House, which suggested that the whole incident was a joke, did nothing to quell the anger of thousands of social media users. Trevor Noah is one of those people who criticised the president on his comments. The stand-up comedian found it alarming that someone as powerful as the president found it amusing to joke on a hot topic that had a bad history in America.

Controversial Statement

President Trump is on record as having asked the officers of Long Island not to be kind to suspects. He insisted that they should rough them up. Even the courtesy of holding down their heads while shoving them into the back of their patrol cars was unnecessary. These statements portrayed his endorsement of police brutality and ill treatment of suspects. People also gave the president a backlashing on Facebook and Twitter.

Trevor Noah also gave the president’s remarks substantial air time on his show. Not only did he criticise the decision by the Commander-in-Chief to comment on such an issue on video, but he condemned the manner in which the White House Press moved in to clarify that the president’s statements were meant as a joke. During this age and time when police cooperation with the community is needed, such a statement was enough to turn back the efforts that had been made so far.

Furthermore, Trevor Noah also noted the rhetoric used by the White House Press each time the president uttered comments that were unpalatable. He put down a line between being funny and joking and that Trump was neither of the two.

Not New To Controversy

Donald Trump will perhaps go down in history as the most controversial president that America has ever had. His controversies did not start the other day. He has been embroiled in controversy since the 90s and 2000s. During his campaign trail, he made comments that were received with mixed emotions by different divides in the country. His most controversial statement involved his dalliance with the Russians, where he requested them on national television to hack his opponent’s emails (Hillary Clinton).

What It Means To The Police Force

Even if Trump’s comments were meant as a joke, the damage done by them was quite irreversible. This is because of the fact that America is already grappling with hundreds of cases of excessive use of force by police, most of which are directed at black people. Even though excessive use of force by the police goes against their regulations, there are officers who have refused to abide by them.

As a result, the president’s remarks have the potential of being interpreted in the wrong way by such police officers.

Check out the astonishing statistics released by London’s police.

Metropolitan Police Accused Of Using Disproportionate Force Against Black People

New statistics in the UK reveal that many cases where police used a lot of force involved black people. People who identified themselves as black, or black British, were involved in 36% of these cases. This number is considered disproportionate given that black people only make up 13% of the entire population. White people, on the other hand, make up 57.5% of the population and they only had 45% of force used on them by the police.

Many human rights agencies condemned this picture and urged the police to exercise restraint when carrying out arrests, especially when it involved black people.

Suffering Minority

Police arrest black man — Black people face a lot of challenges when it comes to police arrests

Even though the report covered a three month period, it illuminated the fact that black people face a lot of challenges when it comes to police arrests. While the police insist that some of the cases required the use of force, many experts and analysts have pointed a finger at the worrying trends. Some insist that this picture should be corrected and that the police force should go through thorough training that teaches them about the equality of all races.

This statistical report is hailed as a step in the right direction in London. It is bound to help in identifying cases where police officers blatantly used excessive force where none was needed. Police officers in London have been trained in filling out forms for each case of forceful arrest encountered in order for it to be properly scrutinised.

Forms Of Force

Of the 36% cases that involved black people, 85% of the arrested people were said to be men. Furthermore, police indicated that a large majority of forceful arrests involved people with mental complications as well. In order to restrain these people, the police themselves also risked getting harmed along the way. That is why some people insist on the retraining of police officers. This will help them identify situations that require the use of force and those that don’t. Furthermore, they will also be able to know how best to protect themselves during such situations.

Most dangerous form of force involved the use of Tasers

Among the forms of force regularly applied by the police involved the use of handcuffs on people who had willingly accepted arrest. The most dangerous form of force involved the use of Tasers. However, police officers said that its use was more of a tactical measure. That was because they only fired the Taser in 10.5% of the cases that required its use. This means that 89.5% of the times, the Taser was deployed by police officers but it was not fired.

There was also the case of the spit guards. Though new to the police, their use has brought controversies as well. Of the 11 spit guards that were used on women during that time period, 8 were used on black women. This represented 72 % of the female cases involved.

What To Expect

While these statistics were the first of its kind in London, it has elicited deep concerns from various rights groups including Amnesty International. Given that it will be done regularly, it’s expected that the trends will be sufficient enough to prod the police if the worrying trend continues. However, as for now, being a black person facing arrest in London is one of the most unpleasant things.

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