I should hope that most Americans who have watched the popular film “The Hunger Games” would argue that it takes place in a post-apocalyptic dystopian society. In the movie, tributes are sent to fight each other to the death for televised entertainment. While television is still prominent in modern America, social media has taken a large role in entertainment for many Americans. If social media existed in Panem, one could argue that it would play a large role in the entertainment wrought by the Hunger Games. Perhaps social media could even display the tributes’ deaths in short form with popular sounds or other motifs.
Recently, I ventured onto the White House Instagram, expecting respectful content that would present the newly elected president’s achievements and plans for the future in a dignified manner. Instead, I was met with a sight best described as vile: a video entitled “ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight.” ASMR stands for Autonomy Sensory Meridian Response and is largely meant to be a form of relaxing content. Hearing the chains of those who are the backbone of our economy being sent to countries where they might meet their demise should not be classified as relaxing.
Many of those deported do not survive, returning to violence they fled from when leaving their country. In a 2020 report, Human Rights Watch claimed that at least 138 deportees had been confirmed as murdered after being deported between 2013 and 2020 in El Salvador. 70 others had been confirmed as having suffered sexual assault, torture and more upon their return. The estimated number of deaths is far higher than these numbers even before the deportations of the Biden Administration, according to Human Rights Watch. Why are we, the wealthiest nation in the world, posting people being carted off to their deaths in a

mocking social media post? Why are we exploiting the less fortunate for our gain and our entertainment? Dehumanizing Republican rhetoric, specifically social media posts, harms our nation by causing division and violence from within and making our nation appear weak and ignorant on the world stage.
This post isn’t an isolated incident. Across the internet, various Trump-supporting Republicans and official government social media channels frequently dehumanize minority groups and those less fortunate in the interests of their politics. But using dehumanizing rhetoric and constantly attacking others does nothing for our nation.
“Make America Great Again” seems to carry the promise of making America a proud, brilliant nation. It seems to imply progression to a more golden age, but lately, it has implied regression to the 1930s, as Trump attacked minorities for America’s shortcomings. As a devastating plane crash rocked the nation, the President blamed the crash that killed 67 on diversity, equity and inclusion policies (DEI). His vicious attacks on various identities following the crash led to a reduction in the staff of an already understaffed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as part of his efforts to eliminate “waste” in the government through the Department of Government Efficiency. In the months leading to the crash, the FAA came under fire as a string of near misses hit airports nationwide as tired, overworked air traffic controllers attempted to do one of the most stressful jobs in the world. According to CBS News, over 90 percent of air traffic control towers in the US are understaffed. The Trump Administration’s firing of FAA employees will lead to more death, worry, and stress in an industry that is already feeling the effects of understaffing.
Not only does Republican rhetoric pose a legitimate threat to the lives of those in our nation, it also creates division among the American people. He called rioters at the Capitol “patriots,” stoking the fire for future attacks on our democracy. He has also frequently taken jabs at his political opponents, using derogatory terms and even racial taunts, such as when he called Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts “Pocahontas,” a reference to her claims of Native American descent. In a recent and more fiery episode, he also berated the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy for not being “grateful” to the United States, before publishing the video online as proof of his supposed strength of character. However, Abraham Lincoln believed that attacking political opponents doesn’t show strength of character. In fact, he believed it showed quite the opposite.
President Abraham Lincoln is best known for being “honest Abe,” a reference to his honesty, humbleness and role in freeing the slaves. In his political career, he focused on keeping America unified. According to a New York Times opinion article by David Brooks, Lincoln believed you succeed in a democracy when you treat others as friends and not as enemies. Lincoln once said, “If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey that catches his heart, which, say what he will, is the great high road to his reason.” In other words, being violent in your speech is unlikely to lead to reason from your opponents. Attacking an ally and person seeking aid from your country will not lead to the “drop of honey that catches his heart.”
Many also believe that his social media posts do not promote American values. According to a March Bark survey, 82 percent of students who had viewed a social media post from the White House under the current administration found that the post did not support American values. It’s easy to see why — when Trump posts an AI-generated video of “Trump Gaza” featuring Trump dancing with a scantily clad Muslim woman and depicting Gaza as an unimaginably wealthy Middle Eastern paradise for him and Elon Musk. So what does posting from the White House and presidential Instagram account attacking minorities for “Making America Great Again” accomplish? Less than nothing.
Trump wants to portray himself as a Christian, American man who brings to justice the criminals. The Trump administration needs to empathize with those not in their party to portray Trump as the strong, almost mythical figure he claims to be. If the Trump administration can post content portraying Trump’s accomplishments, America will not look like a toddler driving a truck.
In the end, it’s important to remember that we cannot change the presidency ourselves. This is the choice Americans made and are now stuck with. Critics should not stay silent during the Trump administration and instead should participate in protests as a way to counter injustice. This is our planet, our rights and our future, and we must fight for it, tooth and nail. Peaceful protests are an effective way of getting the government to listen to the people. If a protest can get one person to change their mind, or be open-minded to arguments from an opposition, it will have been effective. For the next four years, we cannot be silent and complacent.