The date was June 6th 2015, Donald Trump had gone down the famous escalator to announce his bid for the ‘16’ election. The announcement was surrounded by controversy due to his comments and his legitimacy as a candidate. This is where the claim “fake news” began. Trump was accused of paying the people who attended his announcement rally and was also accused of racism. Without providing any type of defense, he claimed that anyone who wrote, spoke, or reported about him negatively was considered “Fake News” and is illegitimate. This fueled his fan base and would allow them to make unsubstantiated claims that when challenged, they would claim that any credible source would be “fake news”. This was the beginning of a toxic election that had divided people more than ever and would eventually cause me to reevaluate my stance on everything.
High school is already a diverse environment that holds all walks of life. The high school I attended was bigger than some colleges due to its impressive 20 plus buildings and over 3,500 students. As the year progressed, I had a very good gauge as to how people felt. The months leading up to election day were extremely frustrating and toxic due to the interactions I had with peers that had strong opinions. These people had an inability to have a constructive debate. Each side had spent so much time attacking each other’s base that people started to lose sight as to what the candidates had to offer. For instance, in the photo above, I was challenging one of my peers’ opinions when he tweeted “If someone is hit and killed by a drunk driver, you blame the
The 2016 Election Analysis
By: Jack Galusha
The Toxic Environment Around the 2016 Election