Originally Posted November 5th, 2016
Love it or hate it, I’m willing to bet that 2016 is a year you won’t soon forget.
It’s been the year of Brexit. It’s been the year in which some of our most well-loved celebrities – from David Bowie to Alan Rickman to Prince – passed away. And it’s the year in which, 3 days from now, the United States of America will go to the polls, and possibly vote in the so-called “orange Hitler”, Donald Trump.
Let’s wind the clocks back a little over a year to October 21st, 2015 – Back To The Future Day. For those of you who might not know, this was the (then) future date to which Marty McFly and Doc Brown travelled in 1989’s “Back To The Future Part II”. It was, to my amazement, a day that even President Obama recognised publicly. For many, it was a time to reflect on how far the world had come in the 30 years since the first BTTF film hit, and on all that we had collectively achieved.
But take a look around you today. Turn on the news. Pick up a newspaper. Scroll through your Facebook news feed. What do you see? The world has undoubtedly changed in lots of ways – there’s no denying that; but what surprises and saddens me is that – for all our wonderful accomplishments – society today seems, in some ways, to be far less tolerant and accepting than it has been for decades.
Lest we forget, 2016 has been the year that saw a steep rise in racist hate crime following the vote to leave the EU. It saw government officials in France ban the ‘burkini’, which was branded “the uniform of extremist Islamism”. It saw some of our own MPs call for an age check on migrants from Calais, as the idea of (heaven forbid) 19 year olds seeking refuge in the UK from war-torn Syria was seemingly wholly unacceptable. And, worst of all, it has seen the very real possibility that a former reality TV star may – days from now – inherit the highest office in the land.
The great John Oliver once described Donald Trump as “America’s back mole” – something that, whilst easy to dismiss at first, has now become so large and frightening that it is no longer possible to ignore. I don’t think that any of us are under the illusion that Hillary Clinton is perfect (personally, I was disappointed that Bernie Sanders didn’t secure the Democratic party nomination). But I think that most decent, reasonable people can agree that she is leagues ahead of a man who branded Mexican immigrants drug dealers and rapists (though was gracious enough to concede that, “Some, I assume, are good people”). Who has proposed a ban on Muslims entering the U.S. (which, given that several members of my own extended family now live in America, is certainly of huge personal concern). Who insists that global warming is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese. Who has mocked both war veterans and the disabled. Who is an unapologetic misogynist, that has claimed women should be “punished” for having abortions, and has even bragged about (and has reportedly committed) sexual assault. Who freely incites violence at his rallies, and has advocated war crimes being perpetrated against the family members of prisoners. And, disturbingly, that’s barely scratching the surface.
Whether Trump wins or loses is, in some ways, almost irrelevant at this stage. Between his noxious campaign and the bitter fallout of the EU referendum, you get the sense that the damage has already been done, both here and across the pond. Remember back in 2008, when Obama was elected President? You can legitimately debate the merits of his 8 years in office, but there’s no denying that climate of hope and unbridled optimism which seemed to prevail when the American people voted him into the White House. For many, it was seen as a very forward-thinking time, not just for the U.S., but for the world as a whole. And look at us now; today, as both a nation and as a people, we seem more stubborn, intolerant, and divided than ever. The worrying question that this raises in my mind is this: have our attitudes actually changed, or is it simply that the Donald Trumps and Boris Johnsons of this world have finally allowed us to show ourselves for who we – deep down – have always been?
Perhaps Marty and the Doc should’ve just stay put in 1985; they may not like what they find in today’s brave new world.
Ramy’s World 