The Power And Identity In The United States

A hierarchy is a system in which people or things are arranged according to their importance. Gender hierarchy is when males or females dominate of one or the other gender. In most societies, especially in the Western sphere, men dominate over women. However, there are some places such as those matrilineal societies that are based off a kinship between the mothers and daughters. In recently years gender hierarchies have been turned on its head; due to feminism women are fighting for equality in a male dominated world. Identity politics are political positions based on the interests and perspectives of social groups with which people identify. These can be social organizations based on race, gender identity, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, religion, culture, or language. Some of the biggest changes of identity politics would be the persecution of the “white man”, issues with women's rights, and the broad issues with minorities in general that have recently become part of the mainstream media. “Once men were kings even outside their castles, and now they are walking on eggshells lest they be blamed for all the world’s problems” (qtd. in Kimmel) As far as anyone can remember in history the white man has come in a destroy cultures without a second thought. From pillaging, destroying, and raping the natives to racism in the criminal justice system most people from the opposite gender, and other races, and other sexualities have developed a disdain for the straight white male.

However, for the first time in centuries men feel like they are being prosecuted for their actions, especially in our president, Donald Trump’s, modern day America and the rise of white supremacy and neo-Nazis. A lot of these issues coming to light stem from racism in the criminal justice system being brought into the public view and discussed. One of the most recent examples of the racial injustice in the mainstream media today is when a Dallas police officer shot her neighbor, unarmed Botham Shem Jean, in his one-bedroom apartment one block just one block from the police department's headquarters. This has sparked riots for justice for not only Botham Shem Jean, but also Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. These were unarmed children who were gunned down by white police officers a couple years ago. On Tuesday, October second, Trump gave a speech before walking off to board Marine One, that included the quote, "It is a very scary time for young men in America, where you can be guilty of something you may not be guilty of. . . ”.

This is in the light of the sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. Discussing the government and sexual assault brought to mind the allegations against our own president, back in 2016 during the presidential race. One particular quote that comes to mind is the famous, "I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. . . Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything. " This makes it sounds like he can sexually assault women just because he is someone famous. In the light of the #MeToo movement Trump’s misogyny being encouraged, enabled, and even glorified by his followers and supporters is no longer being easily accepted. He has a disturbing habit of sexualizing his own daughter’s body and appearance. His comments aren’t even about sexual desire, but more of a generalized dehumanization of being a woman. He literally sees women as primarily useful for our sexual appeal. This would include our ability to be “first rate” depends on what’s between our legs, how big our chest is, and how our physical appearances might impress his golf friends. Women who are young, slim, white and conventionally attractive are sex objects, while women who don’t fit his narrow ideal of what being a female is, they are dismissed as pigs or dogs. While many prominent public figures have seized on the latest resurgence of the #MeToo movement to send a message to women and victims of sexual assault that their voices are being heard, Trump has focused on backing up the accused. The #MeToo movement that started to pick up in the mainstream media earlier this year was in retaliation to politicians and other famous people being outed for sexually assaulting many others. Originally, the movement was founded in 2006 to help survivors of sexual violence, to be more specific, young women of color from low wealth communities, to be able to find pathways to healing and help. Their goal is to create new, re-address existing and expand the global conversation around sexual violence to speak to the needs of a broader spectrum of survivors. Young people, queer, trans, and disabled folks, Black women and girls, and all communities of color.

The feminist movement is not just about sexual harassment. It also entails having equality in education, professional settings, work life, and in every place possible instead of being dominated by the menWomen are becoming tired of constantly being objectified and being put in violent situations at the whim of their male counterparts. They are finally speaking out and refuse the sit down and be quiet again. Shows like The Handmaid's Tale is responsible for helping create new rhetoric and promoting new dialogue options that were not there before. The United State has a long history with immigrants. Everyone who resides in the United States descends from a mixture of cultures that one one point had to have someone migrate from one country over to ours. That is, everyone but the Native Americans. However, after 9/11 tensions with immigrants in the United State have been rising. There seems to be a,major shift of trust in the mainstream media. With federal agents scooping up hundreds in a series of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, immigrants (who are here legally and even some with American citizenship) are having to live in limbo and become marginalized in an instant. The candidacy of Donald Trump has begun to build on a foundation of openly scornful anti-immigrant discussion (which is more of an argument at this point). Since the beginning of May, 2,342 children have been separated from their parents after crossing the Southern U. S. border. According to the Department of Homeland Security it is part of a new immigration strategy by the Trump administration. Back in June the courts passed a travel ban that was brought before them by President Donald Trump prohibits entry into the US by most people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. It also affects two non-Muslim majority countries, blocking travelers from North Korea and some Venezuelan government officials and their families. Chad, which is a sixth majority Muslim country was removed from the list in April after improving "its identity-management and information sharing practices,". Thursday, October 4th, a federal judge in San Francisco blocked the Trump administration from ending special protections for immigrants from four countries devastated by war and natural disaster, temporarily relieving more than 300,000 people from the threat of deportation. These issues are not only affecting the United States.

The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) Leader said on Tuesday the plan would prevent public servants, (including teachers, police officers and judges) from wearing religious garments such as the Muslim hijab and Jewish kippah while performing their public functions. The religious symbols ban is part of a package of policies meant to protect Quebec’s French speaking culture and identity. It includes a cut in immigration quotas and language, while valuing tests for new arrivals. In many European countries, including Britain, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, and Sweden, opposition to immigration has become a central issue in many elections, just like it was in our most recent president election. Italy has also began to move towards an anti-immigration stance with the 2001 electoral victory of Silvio Berlusconi.

According to Newsweek, his ruling party has gone as far as to stand completely behind “one of the toughest anti-immigrant crackdowns in Europe, mobilizing troops to control crime attributed to foreigners”. People are having to ask themselves, How should the United States treat illegal immigrants? And of those illegal immigrants what do we do with those brought to the country as children? How should the U. S. prioritize the various groups being refugees, family members, economic migrants, and skilled workers that are seeking entry to the country? There are so many issues related to identity politics. These include racism in the criminal justice system, issues with women’s rights, religious bans, whether or not gay people should be protected from discrimination, whether transgender people should be allowed to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity, and the list could go on forever. Though there has been some progress made on these issues and issues like these, in the past few years, advocates have been saying that it might be too late to abandon them now. Especially with Trump winning the election creating a new sense of urgency to discuss and help these issues, because of how he’s been at odds with so many of the ideas promoted by the left in discussions about power and identity. With all if this being said, Donald Trump is not to blame for these shifts in power and identity, he is just a prime example and an instigator in a good portion of the political movements that power and identity play into.