A Student Publication of Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA

SACMedia
A Student Publication of Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA

SACMedia
A Student Publication of Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA

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Vote, But Don’t Stop There

Angelica Cruz • October 11, 2018

Millennial Bullsh*t is an op-ed column by Angelica Cruz based on her “Millennial News” series. This column will break apart the news and act as a resource to drive the movement for change for the younger generation, because honestly we’re tired of all the bullshit.

In less than a month, people will be voting in the general election in one of the most divisive times in modern politics. You’ve probably seen the phrase, “vote them out,” at least fifty times a day on social media, on campus, and even when you’re in your own home. And while I’m sure you’ve had more than enough hearing people tell you to vote that you don’t need me to tell you too.

But the thing is, the importance of voting in this election can change things for the next few years. With the damage that has come from the 2016 election and the constant reckless decisions of the Trump Administration, any opportunity to turn things around should be taken seriously. With this upcoming election comes the reopening of of 36 governor spots and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives.

While we cannot completely change the destruction put on some of the policies and rights that have been taken away from people, we can try to make it harder for the Trump Administration to continue what they’ve been doing. But for this to happen, you need to vote.

There’s a thousand and one reasons why you can’t vote. I get it. You have work that day, you’re hungover, you have a class you don’t want to miss— our political system makes unnecessarily difficult to vote, especially for young people, who can be the demographic that saves us from having another term of total bullshit.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. If you’re someone who’s exhausted by the way things are going right now, then you’ll go out and vote. Our political system is flawed, but it’s not going away anytime soon. But if you play your cards right, we could work our way to improving it.

At the same time, those who answer, “vote” every time someone asks if there’s anything to do when it comes to what’s going on need to realize that voting isn’t the only thing someone can do in order to help during these times. There are numerous ways to fight for the rights we have lost these past few years that go beyond going to the polls. To believe voting, as important and crucial, is the only thing someone can do to fight against the administration’s policies is such a bad mindset, especially since there’s nothing guaranteed with voting (as much as we don’t want to believe so).

Beyond voting, we should continuously be actively involved in trying to make better our society especially under this administration. It’s exhausting, that’s for sure. We have our own lives, our own interests, and to add this is just the cherry on top to everything.

But we also have a man so dangerous who appoints people with sexual allegations toward them in the highest power of the judicial system. We have a man so dangerous in office he’s tried to take away the rights of minority communities. We have a man so dangerous he even has numerous charges against him and his administration. We might start to fight, whether it be going to the polls and or participating in our admittedly flawed political system. What we can’t do is stay still, or else things will continue to be shitty.

To-do for this week: First off, if possibly, prepare ahead of time to vote. Now, I’m not telling you to use this column as an excuse when you tell your boss if you can call off, but if you can call off or switch shifts with someone go for it. If you can talk to your professors about voting, go for it. The best way to prepare for the election, is to plan for the election, and plan for every worst case scenario that might occur once you head to the polls. Here’s a way to make sure you’re registered to vote and to find your polling place, and here’s a list of rights you have in case someone tries to tell you otherwise. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., that’s a whole 13 hours to vote. And if you’re in line past 8, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t vote because you can. ProPublica has written a good article on how to prepare ahead of time.

And to help beyond voting, there are many ways to do it. There’s community organizing, donating to advocacy groups or people who want to help others or are struggling themselves, and actively being aware of what’s going on.

So vote, but don’t let it stop at the polls. There’s a bigger fight going on and it doesn’t stop because you turned in your ballot.

halloween, don’t be an ass

In honor of Halloween coming up, here’s a reminder to again not be an asshole. In recently events, the adult Halloween costume shop Yandy released what was a sexy handmaid costume, inspired by the popular dystopian Hulu series, “The Handmaid’s Tale.” If you’ve ever watched the show, you’ll understand why this is problematic. But also, outside the show, the handmaid costume has become a symbol of women’s empowerment as you can find handmaid’s protesting against issues that would jeopardize women’s rights.

While Yandy has removed the costume from its store, people have taken an issue with the fact they have yet removed their adult Native American costumes. Especially when Native American women are experiencing high rates of sexual assault, often done by non-Native men. This has left a bad taste in the mouths of many people.

To-do for this week: Please don’t be that asshole who wears some kind of offensive costume to be edgy. There’s so many costumes out there to wear. Also here’s the petition to get these costumes out of Yandy’s collection.

Brett Kavanaugh

It was a difficult point of the week when it was announced Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court. A man with three sexual assault allegations toward him now is in one of the highest position of power. It’s been a grueling few weeks, especially for survivors of sexual assault. While it’s good and even necessary to take a moment for yourself, we must not let this be the end of it. We must keep Kavanaugh in check on what he does and what he decides to do.

Also, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Jeff Flake are the worst.

To-do for this week: 

It’s exhausting, I get it. Take some time for yourself to recover, then return to fight. We must keep this man in check before he takes away our basic rights.

Get Involved, Know What You’re Voting For

I know I just gave you a really big spiel on why you should vote in the top part, but I need to emphasize how important voting is in this election. The entire Congress could be shaken up if people, especially young people, vote. If we vote for officials whose intentions to make it a lot harder for the Trump Administration to go through whatever plans their vile hands have in mind for America, then we can try to rebuild the damage he has caused. It’s nowhere near changing our already flawed system, but it’s a start.

To-do for this week: First off, I can’t tell you how to vote. I’m not going to. I do ask you know exactly who and what you’re voting for rather than go in blindly. Know what policies you’re voting for, look at sample ballots, read up on exactly what’s to come and what’s expected from your vote whether it be on propositions or candidates. Try not to go in blindly.

SAC Media editor-in-chief, Ferry Baylon, will be updating California voters on what to expect from this election in her series “Countdown to the Election.” The Sacramento Bee has great coverage on everything going on.

But also, get involved in advocacy groups. Join clubs that you know work toward helping out during times like this, sign a petition, write and or call your local officials. Actively be a part of the fight, rather than stand on the sidelines and wait for every election.

Despite everything looking hopeless, it’s not. There will always be times like this, but now is not the time to stop moving forward.

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About the Contributor
Angelica Cruz
Angelica Cruz, Author
Angelica Cruz is the Pop Editor and Columnist for SAC.Media. She is also a content producer/editor for Substance magazine. She is majoring in film and journalism and her favorite things are Chance the Rapper and Project Runway. She also currently has two hundred (and counting) matches on Tinder.