The year of 2016 marks the election of the 45th president of the United States and so far it also ranks amongst the most unforgettable years; for never before have the primary elections caused such chaotic reaction within the public. Yes, one has to acknowledge the fact that thanks to Donald Trump the race for the presidency gained more nation-wide attention than seen in previous years, but at the same time one has to acknowledge the fact that thanks to his trend of speaking before thinking people have lost some consciousness in the way they speak about certain political aspects of the United States (U.S.) Government.
In the past months the American public has heard just about everything. They have heard about the immigration crisis and Donald Trump's absurd hope to make Mexico pay for the "wall", they have heard of the Ted Cruz's insane resolution to undo the same-sex marriage ruling, they have heard of Bernie Sander's distant goal of making college free for all, and they have heard Hillary Clinton's claim of not being a liar when at the moment her name is under scrutiny for the e-mail investigation she is undergoing. The public has heard different turns and twists on the issues concerning immigration, foreign affairs, health care, education, gun control, fiscal policy, taxes and diplomatic affairs; what they have not heard enough of is the nation's fractured criminal justice system.
So why is it that the criminal justice system has not received enough attention from the candidates? Underestimation, from both parties. Although a war may be raging within the broken community of Ferguson, although registered police officers may be terrorizing innocent American people, and although surveillance cameras in jail cells have recorded the deaths of innocent American people, the candidates still assume that the Syrian war is of more importance.
The truth of the matter is that the American Government has forgotten to address problems such as the growing number of deaths to police brutality, current law enforcement inefficiency to capture real criminals, and antiquated incarceration philosophies that have high rates of relapse. As an effect, this has produced a growing public, who when unheard simply restores to using words to make a statement. Such is the case with the Black Lives Matter Movement which was initiated in 2012 after the death of Trayvon Martin.
Do people understand that for the past months the slogan "Black Lives Matter" has unconsciously altered the way they think politically? Much like the controversial comments made by Donald Trump this phrase highlights how little the public bothers to think about what they support both politically and socially.
When asked wether all lives matter or black lives matter, in a democratic debate, both democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders responded by agreeing with the latter. The republican candidates never quite had a chance to speak about the issue, but a generalization can be made that if given the chance they would most likely avoid making a specific distinction. What the democratic candidates were doing is a trend that Donald Trump has used to obtain support. It is a rhetoric based on the idea that in order to gain support from the citizenry they (leaders) must feed the angry public with the words they desperately wish to hear.
With that said, what the public should be hearing is the fact that ALL lives matter. Yes. ALL lives matter. Which means that Black, White, Brown, Gray, Pink, Orange, Blue and Red lives matter. We are not a color of skin, we are a personality and a kaleidoscope of ideas. We are a culture and a heritage, by which we associate. Therefore, we should stop assigning colors to the different cultures in society and simply refer to them as vital pieces of our melting pot. In the other hand, yes, it can not be ignored: discrimination is apparent in the criminal justice system. However the best way to deal with this is by reinstating democratic ideals that emphasize unity and patriotism. Everyone in this country should realize that we serve America and the American people best when we are united. When the public chooses to unite, all in a common cause, not making distinction of color/culture, and willfully stands together against unreasonable violence THAT will be a stepping stone. People will stop siding with all that is politically incorrect and come to a consensus that this political crisis is one that can be solved with a sympathetic attitude and one that can be solved through unity. The rhetoric we need is one that screams "All Lives Matter, including the lives of our fellow African Americans which have suffered from abusive police force."
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