Biden voters, don’t be apathetic
Hearing that Joe Biden would be the 46th president of the United States felt like a breath of fresh air for millions of Americans – and don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to say I didn’t feel the same. The last four years have undoubtedly been some of the most polarizing and tumultuous in our history, ending with a heavily disputed election that came far too close for comfort.
It’s okay to feel relieved. A Democratic president, Senate and House majority certainly allow for the platform to implement serious systemic change for the next two years. No longer do we have a president whose destructive carelessness left us constantly on the edge of our seats. However, far too many will take this opportunity to return to “normal.”
However, we cannot view these next four years as a break from advocating about important issues, misconstrued by the belief that just because Trump is no longer in office, all these big social issues will handle themselves.
This is the root of the problem: complacency. Complacency in the Biden voters who loudly expressed their discontent for Trump on social media, but will comfortably continue their lives unaffected once these issues aren’t trending anymore. Complacency in the Republican politicians who spoke out against Trump in recent months, but will now fade out of the limelight and remain complicit as their party passes harmful legislation.
So, to those who believe now is the time to relax: Biden’s win does not mean you have a four-year pass of staying silent on the issues you have advocated so strongly for during the past administration. Whatever returning to “normal” means to you is not enough. Your BIPOC, poor, immigrant, disabled and LGBTQ+ friends, family, peers and coworkers do not have this choice. Having the privilege to ignore these problems until they were trending on Twitter – and to forget them after – is why the United States fails to progress. These systemic failings didn’t just disappear on Jan. 20. Bigotry lives on in the millions of Americans who voted for Trump, including the thousands of domestic terrorists seen storming the Capitol on Jan. 6.
At the end of the day, we must remember what Biden represents above all: safety. His staunch neutrality on issues that could drive away moderate voters is the reason he was selected as the Democratic candidate in the first place. Rather than his campaign being driven by his own policies, it focused on one thing; the fact that he isn’t Trump.
Although Trump may not be in recognized office any longer, the rhetoric he amplified is not new. Biden is not going to solve the deep-rooted issues of American culture single-handedly. For progress to be made, we must continue to put pressure on our representatives to advocate for the issues we feel strongly about. The Trump administration encouraged many who were not previously politically active to get more involved, and now is not the time to stop. These issues will continue to exist, and now, cannot be dismissed by merely expressing your disdain for Trump.
Continue to speak up on issues that you are passionate about. Now is not the time to remain complicit.
