A Family Divided : O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I never thought politics would come between me and my family, however, that’s exactly what happened. Growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, I’ve always had some interest in politics. Mostly, I kept my opinions and beliefs to myself. If someone asked, I always said I was a proud Democrat. I didn’t wave flags or scream from megaphones to get my voice heard, I just voted in every election.
On the other hand, my brother never showed any interest in politics. He thought all politicians were thieves and liars, and he never voiced his opinion on social media. Then, Donald Trump came along. Like many blue-collar Americans, Donald Trump’s politics resonated with my brother. At first, I couldn’t understand how someone raised in the same moral fiber as myself could fall victim to Trump’s political agenda. Then I realized something, it wasn’t just my brother that seemed to be spellbound by Mr. Trump, it seemed to be a majority of my neighbors. I couldn’t figure out how we could sink so low as a society. Was I missing something? I wondered.
A few months into Trump’s presidency, my brother started to become more radicalized. Our Thursday night band practice became more about politics and less about music. My brother, a man that never showed any interest in anything political, now was hanging on Trump’s every word. Week after week it got worse. My brother started to question everything. Media was the enemy, conspiracy theories were real, and the Coronavirus was a hoax. I begged and pleaded for my brother to look at the facts but to no avail. He made up his mind and there was no turning back.
It was sad to watch the transformation from a loveable brother to a man filled with hate. My brother became more vocal and angry. No matter where we went or what we did, it would always end in some sort of argument about the state of the country. It got to the point that I could no longer be in the same room as my brother, my best friend. It was like cancer invaded his body and I was watching my brother slowly wither and die. His body was still here, but his mind had gone somewhere else. When Donald Trump lost the election, I could no longer deal with my brother’s bickering and hate-filled speeches. To save my sanity, I had to say goodbye to my brother for good.
I was angry at Trump and the many Republicans that contested the election results. I was mad at the world. How could we have let this happen? Donald Trump is responsible for so many deaths in this country, but even more than that, he is responsible for so many families falling apart. Now that my hometown hero, Joe Biden, is president of this great United States, I wonder if things will be normal again, or has Trump left a permanent stain on this nation?
Before becoming President, Donald Trump never held any office in government or had any experience in politics. Maybe that’s why people were drawn to him because he wasn’t an average politician. It was one of the reasons why my brother loved him so much. He liked Donald Trump because he felt he spoke the truth, but in reality, most of what he spoke was lies. He fed the American people what they wanted to hear, and in return, 74 million people voted for him. But despite having one of the largest turnouts in election history, it wasn’t enough to beat Joe Biden. Because love will always conquer hate, and the truth will always conquer lies. As Americans, we can breathe again, at least for the next four years.
