Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Heil Trump!

I live in the U.S. and I'm voting for Ron Weasley.

Ahhhh, not sure whether this is the right place to discuss such a personal question? Don't get me wrong, I think it's rather interesting to hear from other people's political views, but maybe not here if it is not directly related to feminism. Anyway, maybe the other mods do not agree at all! :D

In the U.S. at least, some people find it rude or just too personal to ask who someone is voting for. Don't know how people from other countries (or even other Americans!) feel about it. Certainly there is room to discuss how different candidates engage with issues important to feminists.

I vote based on issues, and the Democrats are typically more aligned with my interests. While I do favor a particular candidate, I'll just quote Gloria Steinem in Chapter 5 of My Life On The Road: "We can double our chances by working for one of these candidates, not against the other. For now, I've figured out how to answer [people] when they ask if I'm supporting Hillary Clinton or [Bernie Sanders]. I just say yes." (emphasis mine, and the brackets in the original quote are "reporters" and "Barack Obama", respectively)

I don't see why we need to talk about politics in here..

Politics can greatly influence world issues, including things such as rights for equality. Just because it may seem personal to some people, particularly Americans, not everyone feels that way. Politics can be considered a controversial subject in most places, yes, but it is not taboo where I come from, nor to the other countries I have been to.

This question might be a good one to get people thinking about what their parties really stand for, and what they would be willing to support/what are they already doing for the public. If they are more open to the needs of the public, maybe they will be more open to the issues that feminists bring up.

I mean this politely, Maya, of course. ^_^ But, just because you don't see why we need to talk about politics here, that does not mean that other people do not see why we should. I think we should. There are so many factors involved linking politics and the goals of feminists that I am surprised no one brought the question up sooner.

Ryan wrote: "A Woman apart of the UN. In a book club about feminism, I believe also the creator of the movement heforshe, on the folder misc, Where I'm under the impression its sort of a whatever you want to ta..."

I knooooow! ;)

Obviously, if this thread remains linked to feminism then there's no questioning whether it belongs here or not. To me, it was more because of the title. People vote with many more things in mind than the feminist agenda of their candidate (at least I do, although I obviously include this aspect!). Perhaps if it was named 'Politics & Feminism' Maya and me wouldn't have hesitated.

Anyway!!! It's obvious that it's not a concern.

I'd like to talk in a broader sense about this. :) As such, this Spaniard here is gonna say that the parties which put the focus on women issues the most during the last elections, which fate remains uncertain BTW, are United Left (IU) and PSOE (our Socialist Party). Particularly United Left, which still had a male candidate, but a very interesting one.
In fact, we did not have female candidates in Spain, which is a pity for the former party in the government. Had they chose their (female) vice-president as the presidential candidate, they would have probably gained a lot more support. Man, that woman is good. She's in the wrong place IMO, but she kicks ass.

Ryan wrote: "huh that never occurred to me lol I guess the title is kind of wishy washy.

sorry bout that!

also great response (="

Not at all! I actually enjoy this topic of conversation, ha.

This seems like a rather personal question: I don't live in the USA so I can't really talk about my vote, but I'm curious who'll win the selections this year haha

Simon wrote: "This seems like a rather personal question: I don't live in the USA so I can't really talk about my vote, but I'm curious who'll win the selections this year haha"

As long as the Trump joke does not turn into reality, it'll be fine. He's a disgraceful, sorry excuse of a candidate. And I'm using the word 'candidate' because I do not want to go all out here.

I'm from Brazil but from what I read about Trump... Jesus, he's the worst!

Eric wrote: "I don't understand it really, I mean if I would say now, after your question, "I voting for Angela Merkel", would you know who this person is? If you asked, "curious to know who people are voting f..."

I think you could understand this as a thread on politics worldwide and their relation, or lack thereof, with feminism and women-related issues. For those who are fine with sharing this personal question, they could elaborate on why their preferred candidates are the right choice with regard to these topics. Then, you could also just talk about the general situation in your country. :)

Ana, I agree. Maybe Trump as a president will not affect my country so much but if he's really going to win and make his 'jokes' come true, America is going to be in some problems I think...

Simon wrote: "Ana, I agree. Maybe Trump as a president will not affect my country so much but if he's really going to win and make his 'jokes' come true, America is going to be in some problems I think..."

Oh, it would indeed affect your country and mine - it would affect everyone's. Can you imagine the consequences deriving from Trump dealing with worldwide issues as the leader of the world's first power?

Ana wrote: "Simon wrote: "Ana, I agree. Maybe Trump as a president will not affect my country so much but if he's really going to win and make his 'jokes' come true, America is going to be in some problems I t..."

Couldn't agree more. If Trump wins, we all loose.

Luckily for us all I think he cannot win, if there's still common sense in the US. But it's still scary and disturbing that he got to the place he is now. He is like a horrible, dark parody wherein all the worst stereotypes about the US meet at once.

I agree with the comments regarding Trump. not only is he disrespectful, inconsiderate, and bigoted, but also incompetent, inconsistent, reprehensible, and unqualified to successfully run this country. He lashes out against those who disagree with him with childish remarks, he doesn't focus on the important issues at hand (i.e., he spoke on the Miss Universe pageant mixup but doesn't speak on the Flint, MI Water crisis). He is a bad joke that will destruct not only America, but the world, if he is elected. with that said, Senator Bernie Sanders gets my vote. or Hilary if she wins the Democratic nomination.

Voting should be an earned privilege, not a right. If Trump wins the elections that will mean that half of the USA are potential Trumps. If that's what democracy is about, letting all idiots have power, no matter how irrationally destructive they are, then get ready for the end of the world because it won't take long.

If Trump wins, I'm moving to the UK.

In these cases the UN should be like a shield. If something like this happens, they block the international consequences. But that would be if the UN wasn't USA's puppet. And it should be the most powerful organization in the world, by far. So, as long as the UN is a parody of an organization, there's nowhere to run.

Eric wrote: "Joanne wrote: "I agree with the comments regarding Trump. not only is he disrespectful, inconsiderate, and bigoted, but also incompetent, inconsistent, reprehensible, and unqualified to successfull..."

Trump does have many followers, which is frightening to many Americans. But on the other hand, he also has A LOT of opposers and enemies that he's made along the way. The media gives him more attention than he deserves, but all of the attention he gets is negative. There are top military leaders who vow to disobey his orders if he becomes President because it goes against their military values and beliefs. There are a lot of people like this in America who do not respect Trump and wish to see him lose this race.

He's not going to win but the only fact that he is a serious candidate shows that the USA is in serious trouble socially speaking.

I think it's an appropriate question and people can choose for themselves whether or not they want to share who they are voting for - I'm not sure yet.... I just know it will not be Trump - and I think for the sake of people outside of the US - it's important that they know that for whatever reason Trump has created a following, there are as many of us that are embarrassed that he in any way represents anything to do with the US. He continues to do and say things that will eventually - hopefully - have people see his true being. I read this article today and it really resonate for me in terms of why it would be a huge (no pun intended) issue if he were to actually become POTUS - which, I don't think will happen - I have faith in the process and the citizens of the USA. Here's the article link:

Alexis wrote: "If Trump wins, I'm moving to the UK."

I cannot imagine living in the US with President Trump, so I may follow you to the UK, Alexis. :-)

Politics undoubtedly has a great influence on feminism. It's important to support the cause every way possible. I just don't see how talking about Trump and our ‘Shared hatred� for him links to feminism. I don't live in the US. Actually I'm from Syria. This doesn't mean that US elections aren't important to me. I remember when Bush left office and Obama took over, people hailed and cheered from all over the middle east. For us Bush was satan and we had high hopes that Obama was gonna do better things regarding the US interests in the middle east. Looking back at that time I just have an overwhelming need to laugh!
As far as I and the women in my country are concerned, US elections are irrelevant. Though I do hope Trump doesn't win he sounds really awful.
Also having a political opinion is unisex.. The topic shouldn't have been ‘Who is everyone voting for?�... It should have been ‘How is politics treating feminism in your country?�

Yeah, with "not affecting my country" I actually meant affecting my country in the first place. If Trump really becomes a president, we're al, sorry, screwed.... I think it will not only affect the economy but also the cooperation in the world between USA and other countries.
Let's hope the winner may be someone with a 'healthy' mind!

Thanks for the reactions on my comment! :)

Moved to "Feminism" folder

Hmmmm! Ryan, seeing as there is apparently some confusion still going on, mind if I change this thread's name? Well, I did already LO, sorry. I can write the old one back if you all prefer so, but maybe this way we can just carry on with the convo. :)

I'll do my best to try and ride the debate back to feminism. The other day I was reading a report on Trump's weird universe in a Spanish magazine and there was a fact that I had not thought of - the majority of Trump's followers are men. It's quite unsettling (now guys please do not take me wrong, it's just that there are not nearly as many women who support him!)

I suspect that one of the best things that could be done for feminism on the political scene would be to elect more people like this:



Work for equality needs to be done, and can only be done by those who show up!

(no idea if they discussed women's issues in the absence of the men, but I'd like to think they did :) )

Yes, and leaders like Trudeau as well Chaya...

I live in Wisconsin, U.S.A. I consider myself an independent and often vote Republican in local elections, but I will never again support any Republican in a state or national election because of the party's opposition to women's right to reproductive choices. There is a big debate in the U.S. regarding Planned Parenthood because it does perform some abortions, although 99% of its services relate to birth control, breast cancer screening, and other women's health issues. I am mortally embarrassed by Donald Trump, but his poll numbers are among Republican voters. He has little support among women independents, according to the polls. I will likely vote for Hillary Clinton in the primary because I do not think Bernie Sanders can win in a general election.

Alexis wrote: "If Trump wins, I'm moving to the UK."

I was thinking Canada or New Zealand, myself.

Eric wrote: "Joanne wrote: "I agree with the comments regarding Trump. not only is he disrespectful, inconsiderate, and bigoted, but also incompetent, inconsistent, reprehensible, and unqualified to successfull..."

Eric wrote: "Joanne wrote: "I agree with the comments regarding Trump. not only is he disrespectful, inconsiderate, and bigoted, but also incompetent, inconsistent, reprehensible, and unqualified to successfull..."

Trump gets a LOT of news coverage, but remember that in the US, the four major networks are not publicly-owned like the BBC. The owners are Trump's cronies, and he is very good at making himself news. Bernie Sanders has gotten almost no coverage at all, and much of Hillary Clinton's coverage has had a negative slant. We do has the Public Broadcasting Company which used to be funded by government grants, but that money has been drying up in the name of saving taxes. For the most part, its viewers are among the better educated Americans which eliminates most of Trump's fan base.

I think politics and the ability to discuss politics is going to be a major piece in accomplishing equality of any sort. The fact that politics is such a taboo topic is what hurts our ability to be heard, but it is taboo for a good reason-people tend to treat others poorly if they have different views/opinions.

I see this all the time on Facebook liberals post you think this or you are stupid and conservatives post you think this or you are stupid. This is partially why the political parties are so polar and do nothing to represent what people actually think or convince people to think only what the party thinks (as you are stupid to do otherwise).

I wish we could talk politics as ideas and discuss why we think the way we do. The purpose is not to convince everyone to our ideology, but to be able to look at issues more holistically and ensure that our opinions include that counter information.

For example, I think Hilary Clinton as president would hurt the part of the feminist movement I care for because she is one of the women who have made it well because they have more masculine traits, thus she will move forward agenda that will still not help women like me. Whereas Hilary Clinton supporters can say that they feel like her agenda will help their plight. Then we can discuss issues, understand each other, and leave with our differing opinions by being more enlightened about the world and the other people who are in it.

I believe this is the only way that we can solve inequalities because we will have civil discussions on issues and not just yell insults. Insults only build hatred and solutions from hatred usually hurt another group. A false dichotomy creates a zero sum game (or negative sum game at points) when we all want to move forward with a positive sum game.

I'm a strong Bernie Sanders supporter! Unfortunately, I have had many people tell me that they are surprised that such a strong feminist wouldn't be voting for Clinton. When I read the chapter about the 2008 primaries between Obama and Clinton, it really made me think about the similarities to this year. I would love to see a woman president of the US, but Sanders aligns more with my personal opinions and political views. I'm not sure if other women have been questioned about their support of a male candidate over a female candidate. I feel like people expect a certain decision from women and feminist, without critically thinking we are not all the same... And that is a good thing!

I really haven't decided between Clinton and Sanders. I can live with either of them. I am an attorney, approximately the same age as the Clintons, so I have first hand experience regarding what it took for a woman to do well in an Ivy League law school back then. I have to respect her competence. Remember that when Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor graduated from law school at the top of her class, the only jobs she could get were as a paralegal--only about 20 years ahead of Clinton. The daughter of one of my close friends works for the State Department and just came off a stint working with Syrian refugees in Turkey. She tells me that Clinton has a great deal of support in that agency, and she thinks the consensus is that she is the only candidate with the qualifications to handle foreign policy. I am very concerned about what I perceive as anti-feminist, racist positions of the leading Republican candidates. Personally, any religious extremist group which attempts to impose its beliefs on others is worrisome to me, and I do see the attack on Planned Parenthood by the Republicans as a serious assault on poor women's health services in the U.S., particularly since it provides free or cheap breast and cervical cancer screening. I agree with some of Sanders' financial analyses, but I can't make the numbers work for others. In my state (Wisconsin), we have had a Republican-controlled state government since 2008. Compared with neighboring Minnesota, Wisconsin's recovery from the recession has been much slower, our education system has been substantially degraded, and the unions have been stripped of any meaningful power. Still, companies are pulling out of Wisconsin, which means fewer decent paying jobs for everyone.

Trump and demagogue are a nice pair. I think it is interesting to ponder exactly why he has had so much success campaigning right now. What makes people lose common sense, become angry enough at "the system" etc. to vote on a demagogue?

If one wants to win, this should probably be part of one's strategy, at least such that one addresses the issues he brings up in a primitive way with proper arguments against his bigoted, shitstirring claims and promises.

In the end, I think Trump has only Trump's back, but it is convenient to vote on him, if one has tendencies to push blame elsewhere rather than the desire to look in the mirror, then fix what is broken. This should be a good reminder also for extreme feminism.

I actually don't understand why politics is so hush hush to talk about. What are politics? Fighting about everyday matters concerning us all. Feminism is highly everyday and we are talking about it here and now. Everyone, who posts, has clear political views. Go figure.

As for boycotting by not voting, I think one loses one's right to comment, but that is just me.

After doing my research, I find that Marco Rubio is the one I side most with (for presidential candidates), which is a good thing as I voted for him as a senator. I was surprised by Hilary Clinton's foreign policy stance, which is actually related to equality since powerful nations should interfere when fundamental rights (like life) are being taken away by leaders of other nations. Not doing do was why Hitler had so much power when world war two started. It is really interesting how the influence of developed countries helps bring equality in other countries (not saying we should own the countries, but that it is our obligation to help them).