Question # 1
Black lives matter (BLM) movement rose in 2013 to protest the killing of black Americans. Since the formation of BLM in 2013, many demonstrations have been organized nearly in every city across the country. A New York Times article by Charlotte Alter (2016) covers a BLM demonstration/ event in New York after the horrific deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. Many people, from all races, gathered to support the civil rights event because they felt connected with the victims. The protestors were angry at the continuous killing of African Americans. BLM demonstrators were tired of the endless stream of police killings targeting African Americans. African Americans are now afraid of the police because their lives are deemed less important, and they are more likely to be killed even when they are not harmed. The murders of Michael Brown, Philando Castille and the rest are evidence that black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise by the police officers.
BLM events can be compared to the Civil Rights events from the 20th century. For example, the infamous “I have a Dream” speech was given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963 to a group of civil rights protestors in Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Tens of thousands of protestors came together to agitate for equality. King’s speech was moving such that the federal government took direct actions to enable racial equality in the U.S.
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The two events have influenced a sense of responsibility in the American government today. BLM events/ demonstrations are often sparked by killings of innocent black men that force people to take to the streets to protests (Alter, 2016). Black lives matter events are civil rights events that attract the support of many people from all ethnicities, politicians, celebrities and other influential people. Black lives matter events have forced leaders to accept that systemic racism still exists in America, and they are putting in place strategies to measures to end racism, or at least not to become the reason for another black lives matter event. BLM events attract attention, and they are widely covered by the media such that racist police officers or leaders now have to be more careful with how they handle cases involving black suspects. Most importantly, BLM has united Americans to fight for a common cause.
Question # 2
Media has a significant influence on public opinion. The way the media portrays a government agency has a positive or a negative impact on how the public will view the agency. In a Washington Post article, Borchers (2018) assesses the tough portrayal of President Trump in the media. The presidency is not a government agency, but the president is the leader of the Executive branch of the government.
President Trump has media favorites, Fox News and his PR organizations. However, a larger section of the media has become Trump’s nightmare because of the tough approach they use to report Trump’s events, policies and even his personality. In the Time magazine cover for March 2016, a black and white picture of president Trump is used alongside the captions of the showman, bully, party crusher, demagogue, and the 45th President of the United States (Leon, 2017). On the contrary, on the Time magazine cover from January 2009, a nice picture of President Obama was used with the caption “person of the year.” The media portrayed Obama as a rational, cool and a superhero. Obama graced many magazine covers that positively painted him, while journalists often satirize Trump's magazine covers.
President’s Trump image in the media has influenced American people. The public is constantly reminded that the president is incompetent and he should not be in office. President Trump also has made matters worse by calling reporters “dishonest,” “slime” and “disgusting” individuals who spread fake news. The media portrayal of Trump’s presidency has affected public opinion of the president negatively, especially among people who do not agree with President Trump’s policies. The media has portrayed him as an irrational leader who makes rash decisions and has little regard for civil rights and liberties. President Trump’s approval rating was at 39 percent according to an NBC/ WSJ poll with 44 percent of Americans reporting that they “strongly disapprove” of the president’s job against 22 percent who “strongly approve” (Todd et al., 2016). Many Americans do not trust President Trump to lead them, and they think he does not know what he is doing.
Question # 3
The two main parties in the U.S. are the Democratic and Republican parties. President Trump is a Republican while President Obama was a Democrat. There are critical differences between democrats and republicans lies in their ideologies, values, morals, and goals. Republicans and Democrats have different opinions about contentious issues such as immigration, abortion, gun control, health care, taxation, and economy. The issue of immigration has polarized the American society, with Republicans arguing for tougher immigration laws while Democrats tend to favor immigrants. During the 2016 campaigns, President Trump proposed the building of a wall to prevent illegal immigrants from Mexico from entering the U.S. (Amadeo, 2018). Republicans believe that illegal immigrants should be deported. Democrats are more interested in creating a path to citizenship for the illegal immigrants in the U.S.
Another difference is that Democrats fight for the equality of Americans, regardless of their social class, race, gender, sexuality, and religion. Democrats used their platform to advance LGBTQ cause which is why LGBTQ now enjoy more rights and opportunities. Not all Democrats support same-sex marriages, but most of them do. President Obama supported the Supreme Court ruling in 2015 to legalize same-sex marriage in 2015. Most Republicans are still opposed to LGBTQ community. President Trump appeared to support LGBTQ during his campaign, but his actions now as the president show that he is anti-LGBTQ. Trump administration has tried to reinstate a ban on transgender people joining the military. Trump administration has many individuals who have opposed LGBTQ publicly, which is why the administration also rescinded on the bathroom policy allowing transgender people to use bathrooms as per their gender identity.
Despite the apparent differences between Republicans and Democrats, it is hard to tell which side is ethical or morally right when each side has many supporters who believe in the party ideologies and values. Nonetheless, Democrats strive for a free society where everyone is free, regardless of their gender, sexuality, religion, race, and ethnicity. Democrats are liberal, and they believe everyone deserves to achieve the American dream, while Republicans tend to hold on to traditional and selfish beliefs. Republicans are not readily accepting of different individuals, especially immigrants and LGBTQ. Republics aim to uphold the status quo even when it oppresses the minority while Democrats embrace change to create a free society for everyone because they have the best interest for American people.
References
Alter, C. (2016, July 10). Black Lives Matter Protest in New York Attracts New People. Time . Retrieved from: http://time.com/4400211/black-lives-matter-new-york-protest/
Amadeo, K. (2018, Oct. 25). Donald Trump on Immigration, Pros and Cons of His Policies. The Balance. Retrieved from: https://www.thebalance.com/donald-trump-immigration- impact-on-economy-4151107
Borchers, C. (2018, June 1). The case for even tougher media coverage of Trump. Washington Post . Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/06/01/the- case-for-even-tougher-media-coverage-of-trump/?utm_term=.cf8afe00f24c
Leon, J. (2017, Aug. 18). Comparing How the Media Portrays Trump and Obama on Magazine Covers. Freebeacon. Retrieved from: https://freebeacon.com/politics/comparing-media- portrays-trump-obama-magazine-covers/
Todd, C., Murray, M., & Dann, C. (2018, Apr. 16). Amid the Trump chaos, public opinion is remarkably stable. ABC News. Retrieved from: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first- read/amid-trump-chaos-public-opinion-remarkably-stable-n866251
