Politics The New Era of Populism
A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
U
January 2019
Columnist Carly Kabot ‘19
ltranationalism can not only make us The upsurge in xenophobic sentiments exblind to the past but allows it to be res- tends beyond politics, beyond simply the pourrected. Across the globe, the cyclical wave of larization of the right and the left. Such mishate has begun to swell, jeopardizing the safety guided passion comes from a place far deeper, of millions and the humanity of all. The re- from a human fear of difference, of change, surgence of populist, alt-right political leaders and of the unknown. I believe in strengthened and parties, from Germany to Belgium to the border security, but through policies that are United States, continues to gain in strength and humane. I believe in a thorough vetting propopularity, all while the global refugee crisis cess, but one that does not discriminate based continues to worsen in gravity and magnitude. on characteristics out of one’s control. I beThe impact of conflict-driven migration from lieve in the notion that politicians should both predominantly Muslim nations, most champion and embody the spirit of notably Syria and Afghanistan, the common man, but that the has not only added to shifting common man is not inherently demographics of Europe, White or Christian or a man but also incited a surge in at all. I refuse to chastise a xenophobia, Islamophoparticular party for the dibia, and, for a variety of visive rhetoric that fuels reasons, anti-semitism — nativism, as righteousall of which strikingly ness does not belong to parallels the isolationa single political group. ist sentiments of postWith that said, there is WWI. German Channo excuse for the blatantcellor Angela Merkel and ly racist comments made French Prime Minister by world leaders over reEmmanuel Macron’s eleccent years, from President tions veil the fact that radiTrump to Viktor Orbán to cal right, anti-immigrant parMarine Le Pen. However, it ties have won a higher percentage must be noted that the new era of of the vote across twenty-two populism represents a growth Photo Courtesy of Carly Kabot European countries than in the in the extreme, not the mainpast thirty years. stream. The stigmatization of refugees has caused My honest hope for 2019 is not that we will many nations to slam the door of hope after all solve all the world’s problems, for, given the has been lost on countless individuals that have current state of the global sphere, we need faced unimaginable atrocities, as well as cata- many, many years to do so. Rather, it is that we lyze a culture of hate towards those who are can rise above this tide of bigotry that threatlucky enough to be granted asylum. After es- ens to swallow both our democratic values caping near famines, the harrowing realities of and personal moralities and elect leaders that life at an overcrowded, disease-ridden refugee reflect our desire to bestow dignity to all recamp, and in some cases even genocide, asylum gardless of ethnicity, religion, and nationality. seekers are met with maltreatment of a new We must remember that peace, between both kind: hate. Rather than being greeted with open nations and individuals, begins with people, arms, their welcoming committee is comprised not policies. To change policy we need only of Pegida, who protest against the so-called “Is- change laws, but to transform culture we need lamisation of the West” exacerbated by Angela conversations that allow us to feel empathy. Merkel’s Open Door Policy for asylum-seeking Only when we can strip off the layers of disSyrians, the legislators who allowed Hungary’s tinctions that society has taught us to use as passage of the “Stop Soros” law that criminal- shields can we know that in our oneness, there ized giving food to undocumented immigrants, is nothing left to be afraid of. Speak across difand the loving words of President Trump that ference, act with empathy, and live with comnever fail offending every religious, ethnic, or passion towards all— everything else will folnational minority there ever was. low. 26 18
