SPECIAL EDITION: RALLY COVERAGE
Social media had quite a lot to say about the Trump rally. Starting off strong, “can Trump wrap it up I can hear him yapping from my room.” This sentiment seemed to be shared by many others, as even students who didn’t attend the rally could hear it from the farthest side of campus from the civic center.
All the students who frequent social media are likely aware that the vast majority of things posted during the rally were about the women’s swim team, members of which took to stage during the rally and all shook hands with former President Donald Trump. The team captain, Lily Mullens, even spoke at the rally and personally thanked and endorsed Trump. Students were not pleased at all, calling the women’s swim team “embarrassing,” “disgusting,” “ignorant,” “hateful,” and above all else, “transphobic.” The Brackety-Ack cannot publish most of the things said due to the strong sentiment expressed towards the swim team. Some anonymous users recognized this, one saying “they are allowed to have a different opinion than you and threatening physical harm to them makes you 1000x worse than them.” Some students pointed out the apparent irony of the women’s swim team endorsing a sexual abuser. Some students also questioned the validity of the swim team’s claims and argued that the goal for the women on stage was not to support women, but to put down transgender people.
In my opinion, everyone is entitled to do and say what they want to, within reason. Backlash against the swim team is nothing new. Expressing hatred towards someone because of an opinion however, is absolutely unacceptable. The members of the team who got on stage and all of the other Roanoke College students cheering them on in the crowd have every right to attend a rally and do not deserve to be threatened. Obviously, they can and will receive backlash. Many students, including myself, do not agree with what they did tonight, and that’s okay.
I’m not going to pretend seeing a good friend on stage with Donald Trump is not shocking. Donald Trump stands for pretty much everything I stand against. Additionally, and rather ironically, I think Donald Trump stands against what I understood to be the argument of the members of the swim team. If the fight is for women’s rights, I would argue, with quite a lot of evidence, that Donald Trump is not the person you want to stand behind (or beside in this case). I think the members of the swim team who got on stage tonight diluted the seriousness of the issue and lessened the importance of what they claim to stand for.
Clearly, Roanoke College is a home to people who fundamentally disagree with one another, and that is indicative of American society nowadays. People are entitled to their opinions, even if you think they are wrong or horrifying. Violence and hatred is never okay, and I pray that it does not become the go-to here at RC or anywhere else following the election.
Mikaela Gantz, Editor-in-Chief
