In nearly every conversation I’ve had since the election, there is an impulse to place blame onto somebody. People want to blame the Harris campaign for their failure, or better yet, want to blame Biden for not stepping down when he should have. But, oddly enough, there is one place that we all seem fairly reluctant to place any blame: the voters.
This was not a close race. For the first time in 20 years, the Republican candidate won the popular vote. There was a shift to the right in nearly every voting demographic. This large of a shift is not just the result of a couple of swing voters, or a result of gerrymandering: The American public is, en masse, refusing the Democratic party, and we need to reckon with that reality. Based on the voting records coming out from the election, voters from every demographic saw a dramatic shift towards the Republican party. Even demographics which have, until this election, historically voted for the Democratic party, such as young voters, college-educated voters, black voters, hispanic voters and urban voters, all saw a significant increase in votes cast for a Republican candidate. In particular, it was men within each of these demographics driving the vote towards Trump. One of the largest of these gender gaps can be found within the young voters demographic, and it only widens when education is also factored in. We can no longer say that our generation is more progressive than the last, because a large portion of it is simply not: and that portion is mostly men.
The results of this election is a part of a tale as old as human civilization itself: It is a result of men who hold a deep hatred of women and a need to control them. The majority of citizens in our country would rather vote for a man found liable for rape than a woman. It is not just that Trump’s own actions are morally reprehensible, but he and his supporters ran a campaign based on misogyny. Additionally, men like Joe Rogan and Andrew Tate, both of whom openly express their support for Donald Trump, use their platforms to radicalize and indoctrinate young men in misogyny and the hatred of women, driving the so-called “bro vote” into Trump’s hands. Yes, this is an extremely simplistic view of the candidates, their parties, their policies and yet, this fact remains an inextricable part of the story
Amongst some of my female friends, we’ve been discussing what to do about sex. A couple have said that they might choose to remain celibate for fear of an abortion ban. It is here I think about Lysistrata, an ancient Greek comedy about a woman who tries to get other women to withhold sex from their husbands until they end the Peloponnesian War. I am reminded as well of the women who are part of the current 4B movement in South Korea, which withholds from men almost all access to women through not dating them, marrying them, having sex with them or having children with them. For the women of South Korea, this withdrawal is purely a protest. For the women of America, who each day lose access to contraceptive and abortive rights, this withdrawal may well be an essential safety measure. In some states, this is the only way to protect ourselves and to take some power away from men.
While many are saying that we about to be thrown into times of uncertainty, I disagree; We have seen Donald Trump act as the sitting president for one term already, and there are many things that he will certainly do: He will certainly appoint unqualified cabinet members who enable his behavior and decisions regarding domestic and international affairs. He will certainly fire whoever has the gall to oppose him. With control of all three branches of government, Trump will have even more unchecked power than before, and he will certainly use all of this power he has amassed to create an authoritarian state where marginalized groups of Americans, including but not limited to women, people of color, LGBTQ and lower income Americans are placed under attack.
Enough is enough. It is tempting to say that Trump’s reelection signals the crumbling of American democracy as we know it. The truth is that our democracy has been broken for awhile, and will continue to fall apart for a long while after Trump leaves office. Our country has a sickness, and Trump is a mere symptom. We need to have a reckoning not only with Trump or the Democratic party, but also with our neighbors, with the people who just voted him into office again. As for us students, and in particular us women, it is time to say no, once and for all: no to totalitarianism, no to misogyny in politics, no to men.
Sophie Gross is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her fortnightly column Observing aims to analyze popular and academic culture at Cornell in an attempt to understand current social and political trends sweeping the country. She can be reached at [email protected].