06 | opinions
Sept. 14, 2016
OPINIONS 2016 ELECTION
SOCIAL ISSUES
Student responds to Marco Gutierrez’s ‘offensive’ remark to Latinos
Student defends player’s right to remain sitting
Abigail Grimminger Contributing Writer abigail.grimminger@drake.edu @AbiGrimminger
In the speech Donald Trump gave in Arizona on immigration policy, he appeared to have diverged from his previous plan of deporting all undocumented immigrants by suggesting that he would allow immigrants who obeyed the law to remain in the country. Many believe this change of heart is due to Trump’s need to broaden his political appeal. According to Univision, Trump currently has only 12.9 percent of the Latin American vote in Florida, an important swing state. When Barack Obama and Mitt Romney ran against each other in 2012, the Latin American vote was an important factor in Obama’s success. Unfortunately for Trump, he’s been alienating himself from minorities since the beginning of his campaign, and his most recent speech hasn’t helped much. Making matters worse, after the speech was delivered one of Trump’s campaign surrogates and the founder of Latinos for Trump, Marco Gutierrez, appeared on MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes” to discuss Trump’s current strategy. While addressing Trump’s current stance on immigration, Gutierrez, a Mexican immigrant himself, mentioned the problems he felt were being created by his culture in the U.S. Joy Reid, who was guest-hosting the show, asked him to explain what he meant by “problems,” leading to the
response, “My culture is a very dominant culture. It is imposing and it’s causing problems. If you don’t do something about it, you’re going to have taco trucks (on) every corner.” Naturally, people got pretty pumped about these tacos, and the hashtag “TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner” was trending on Twitter in no time. As comical as Gutierrez’s statement was, the Trump campaign wasn’t laughing. Of course, Gutierrez isn’t the only reason Trump is having difficulty recruiting the Latin American vote. After all, he has made it clear with policies, like building a Southern border wall. A major part of his strategy is demonizing minority groups. Now he wants their support? It seems a bit counterintuitive. That being said, it would be a mistake to believe that no member of a minority group would ever vote for Trump. Just look at Gutierrez’s organization, Latinos for Trump, which has brought together members of a group that has been treated with so little cultural awareness by the Trump campaign. Despite that Cinco de Mayo tweet with a taco bowl proclaiming “I love Hispanics,” Trump still has a few supporters in the Latin American base. In this situation, though, I’m willing to bet most Latin Americans disagree with Gutierrez’s point of view, because most people in general seem to disagree with his point of view. His support for Trump seems to be rooted in his support for the status quo. In an interview with the DW he explained, “We are a sub-culture within the American culture and I think that Trump is trying to put a little balance into that. I came to this country to become an American. I didn’t come here to be a Mexican.” Like his taco truck comment before, this statement is problematic. American culture is Latin American culture. Let’s put aside
the fact that we’re sharing the continents referred to as “the Americas.” Our histories have been deeply intertwined since the moment these continents were colonized and explored by the French, British, and Spanish. Spain didn’t confine its search for gold and souls to convert to Christianity to only the southern half of the New World. Spanish explorers combed what is now the United States as well. Several of our states and cities have Spanish names, we proudly display the Spanish architecture of the Alamo, and some of the descendants of these Spaniards have been U.S. citizens since they settled (or when they were forced to become citizens after the U.S. swallowed Mexican territory). Our nation’s roots are connected to the roots of Latin America. Besides, the Latin American population in the U.S. is growing. CNN reported last year that the U.S. now has more Spanish speakers than Spain (though this also includes non-Latin Americans who simply want to be able to communicate as effectively as possible with this rising population). We should be celebrating the changes a large Latin American population can bring. If there’s one thing the U.S. is supposed to know very well by now is that diversity is often a good thing. Trump doesn’t appear to be able to see the many strengths diversity brings to our country. Instead, he continues to try to find ways to pin us against each other. But trying to use fear of minorities to gain power isn’t a new tactic in the U.S. political field anymore. We’re better at recognizing the warning signs now, and we’re better at knowing when something is so racist that it’s simply ridiculous. If Trump wants to win this election, he might want to find a new strategy, and maybe get a bit more excited about those taco trucks—people seem to really like having those around.
Ivy Beckenholdt Contributing Writer ivy.beckenholdt@drake.edu
San Francisco 49er’s quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, decided not to stand during the national anthem on Aug. 26. This came with a wide range of responses from social media, some saying that Kaepernick was disrespectful and “un-American.” While it is an understood custom to stand during the national anthem, sitting down was more patriotic. When the media questioned Kaepernick about his decision to sit, he stated, “I just can’t stand for what this represents right now.” He was suggesting that the government allows injustice towards people of color. Police brutality and lack of convictions towards wrongful officers are subjects that need more attention because effective change has not yet been made. When people with platforms like Kaepernick’s take a stand, it sparks much needed conversations. Kaepernick’s action was not only justified, but it was fulfilling his civic duty. The Declaration of Independence states, “That all men are created equal … whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it.” As Americans, we are not supposed to follow the law blindly, but instead we need to critique it and refuse to stand for injustice. Sitting during the
national anthem may seem unjust to some; however, I think the fact that African-Americans are two and a half times as likely to be shot and killed by the police— according to the Washington Post—is the true injustice. Kaepernick’s action not only sparked much needed conversation about injustice, but it has also caused a lot of anger towards him. On Twitter, there was a “boycott NFL” hash tag that was used by many to express their desire for discipline to Kaepernick for not standing during the national anthem. It baffles me that this is the reason people want to boycott the NFL: not for the detrimental injuries that have been caused by playing football or the abuse against women committed by some players, but for someone peacefully protesting. Some have suggested that Kaepernick should leave the United States if he is unhappy. When people say this it shows a lot about their ignorance. Throughout American history, racists have encouraged AfricanAmericans to “go back” to Africa, even though we all, except Native Americans, are immigrants. This “back to Africa” movement occurred during slavery with freed slaves because some did not believe that blacks had a purpose to be here anymore. And so, when people tell him to leave if he is not happy, they are being extremely ignorant and Kaepernick’s reasoning behind his stance is strengthened even more. The flag has united the country in difficult times, such as the 9/11 attacks and in times of war. It has meant a lot to countless citizens, yet many use that symbol as a shield. People highlight the American way with the flag, but that way has left out millions of people who have not had the same opportunities. Some may say Kaepernick was showing disrespect towards the flag, but how could he stand for a symbol that was not being upheld?
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
Mental health issues in veterans should be taken more seriously, student says
Emily Larson Contributing Writer emily.larson@drake.edu
The Headstrong Project and Humans of New York (HONY) have joined forces to tell the stories of veterans from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Headstrong is a group dedicated to helping America’s veterans with the mental stresses that come from war such as: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anger management, addiction treatment, and grief. One of the biggest things ailing veterans is PTSD: the problem is that most people have a skewed vision of what it is exactly. In one of the HONY interviews, Gerard Ilaria, head clinician at Headstrong said, “It’s not homelessness ... PTSD is an anxiety disorder and we can treat it ... You’re back with your families and the warrior mindset is no longer appropriate ... Just like a broken leg, it needs to be fixed.” He’s completely correct. It is a
mental illness that can and must be treated for the person’s wellbeing. The person who has come back from the battlefront is surely different from who they were when they left. Unfortunately, it is typically hard for their families and friends to understand that. Veterans with the ailment suffer detachment from their lives because they feel no one understands what they’re going through in their head. How can you as a loved one help them? First and foremost, let them know that you’re there for them no matter what they are going through. Make sure they feel loved and safe in their own homes but not overwhelmed. Their mental illness can be treated. They didn’t lose a limb— they lost part of themselves, but you can help them get it back. Headstrong Project provides a treatment option for veterans with no cost or bureaucracy. It is the best way for veterans to overcome the brand that it is “weak” to be treated for anxiety, anger, or PTSD. Unfortunately, suicide among veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan war is alarmingly high. In another HONY interview, the founder of the Headstrong Project, Zach Iscol, said, “It’s an epidemic. Every veteran knows another veteran who’s taken their own life.” Twenty two veterans a day take their own life, according to the . For non-deployed veterans, the risk of suicide is 61 percent higher than people who are not in the military. It deeply saddens me that
these brave people who served our country are so disturbed by what is going on in their thoughts and emotions that they choose to end their own lives. Life is valuable. People are valuable. I strongly believe that if more people understood that what they are going through can be helped and is not a shame, suicide rates would go down. Veterans should not be embarrassed to seek help, it should be encouraged by their loved ones. Just this last Sunday here in Des Moines, a veteran shot himself outside of the
Veterans Affairs hospital. Steven Craig Albers was 72 years old, had served in the Vietnam War, and was a graduate from Drake University. Albers was reported to have gotten physical attention at the Veterans Affairs hospital, but he did not seek the mental attention he needed. Albers’ sister said he had been suffering from PTSD for years but never reached out to the VA for help. She urges families of veterans to help them get the mental health aid they need. This past week
was National Suicide Awareness week, and it could not be a more prevalent topic in today’s world. Knowing when to seek help, no matter your age, is important. It doesn’t matter if you’re a stressed out teenager or a veteran suffering from PTSD, your mental health is important. The national Veteran’s Crisis Hotline is 1-800-273-8255 for you or a loved one in need of help.
ZACH ISCOL was interviewed by Brandon Stanton, the creator of Humans of New York (HONY), about the mental illness in veterans. Brandon Stanton runs the popular HONY account. COURTESY OF HUMAN OF NEW YORK’S FACEBOOK PAGE