For cultures around the world, the US elections made the weekend
I don’t know when or why it started to happen but, somewhere in the last 10 years, I started to care about politics. It was the biggest movement I could be part of—and I truly believed my vote could make a difference. But while the results of local politics often escape my personal logic, there are moments that still give me hope.
The recent US elections and corresponding win of #BidenHarris is one of them. President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris will lead the United States oceans away, but this victory echoes in our shores.
RELATED: In the New Normal, We Register to Vote: A Guide for First-Time Voters in the Philippines
For some, this new presidential era means the end of a nightmare and new hope for the future. It means that not all is lost and that there is merit in voting. For others that believed in and supported the Trump administration, the history-making single term is an atrocity.
That’s politics though: there are always two sides.
But why do we care? Why did we all wake up early on Sunday morning to watch Biden and Harris give their victory speeches? Why do we keep seeing memes and video clips on social media? Why does the US election make us all sit up a little straighter?
The quick answer is that it affects us. International relations and aid, travel restrictions, export and import rules and regulations—these affect our country in big ways that trickle down to every Filipino. Not to mention the direct effect the administration will have on relatives that live in the US.
The longer answer is a lot cheesier, but it’s the reason that really kept me glued to my TV (and social media accounts).
RELATED: Advocacy Group We The Youth Vote Has Its Sights Set on the 2022 Elections
I was invested in the US elections because of what they represent—and what the results prove. In making history, #BidenHarris steered the world’s future into a different direction, and it’s one that I am excited (read: not dreading) to see unfold.
Biden will step into office as the oldest elected president of the United States, proving that not ~everything~ is on the shoulders of the younger generation. He has the most popular votes in history, proving that it’s possible for one movement to resonate with millions. Harris is the first woman and the first woman of color to nab the vice presidency, which in itself speaks volumes.
How can you not be excited to see what these two will do together?
RELATED: Death by Subtweet: Frankie Pangilinan and Her Dream Meme Revolution
But, my dear Philippines, here is the most honest reason why the #BidenHarris victory is so important to me: I have every hope that this will help mobilize us, too.
Whichever way you look at it, the current administrations have their similarities. The issues that we’ve posed are issues that they had to work on. Their problems were our problems. Their claims were ours. Their demands echoed our own. And if they were able to turn the page, then we can, too.
We just need to want it enough. Remember: There is strength in knowing that we are #40MStrong. Wag tayo maging manhid. Do not let this fire burn out. Do not leave it to anyone else.
Magpapatalo ba tayo?
Art Alexandra Lara
