The Mental Toll of Non-Empathetic Politics on American Youth
Photo source from Metro
Content Warning: This story discusses suicide and may be triggering for some individuals.
KAHWIT TELA: During the inauguration prayer service for President Trump, Bishop Mariann Budde of the Episcopal Church asked President Trump to be merciful to marginalized communities such as LGBTQ+ people and migrant workers.
“Millions have put their trust in you and as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared right now,” said Budde.
However, President Trump did not listen as he thought it wasn’t a “good service” and demanded an apology from the bishop on social media.
Instead of hearing out his political opponents and providing opportunities for discussion and understanding, he further alienated those marginalized communities such as the undocumented immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities and in turn, America as well.
Even before his inauguration, President Trump was straightforward about his plans to deport undocumented immigrants. The White House would reflect this pro-deportation attitude through the memes on its social media accounts.
On Valentine’s Day, a meme in the style of a Valentine’s Day card with a rhyme that reads “Roses are red, violets are blue, come here illegally and we’ll deport you” was posted.
Another video was more in the style of ASMR as the sounds of detained migrant’s chains rattle across the ground.
In the sudden trend of AI photos styled like Studio Ghibli films, The White House posted an AI Ghibli-esque photo of Virginia Basora-Gonzalez, who was detained by ICE.
This lack of empathetic politics doesn’t solely lie on Trump. It extends to his second hand in command,JD Vance or more accurately Elon Musk and Republican party members such as Rep. Nancy Mace.
During an episode on the Joe Rogan Experience, Elon Musk was quoted as saying
“The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy. The empathy exploit. They're exploiting a bug in Western civilization, which is the empathy response.”
Musk continued “I think empathy is good but you need to think it through and not be programmed like a robot.”
During a House oversight committee meeting, Rep. Nancy Mace repeatedly used a slur toward transgender people. “Tr*nny, Tr*nny, Tr*nny, I don’t really care. You want penises in women’s bathrooms and I’m not going to have it,” said Rep. Mace during a meeting.
When our nation’s politicians (and unelected officials) are acting as cruelly as school children, it’s no surprise to see that cruelty emulated today in the country’s youth.
If you don’t believe me, here are a few examples. Jocelyn Rojo Caberra ended up taking her life after being bullied by her classmates who threatened to call ICE to take her family away from her. She was only eleven years old when she passed away.
On inauguration day, there were more than 1,400 calls to the national hotline of the Rainbow Coalition, a nonprofit that provides mental health services and support to LGBTQ+ youth.
That same day, President Trump targeted the trans community in his inaugural address
“As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female,” said Trump.
When I hear stories about LGBTQ+ youth calls to crisis lines rise and the tragic death of Jocelyn Caberra, I get emotional. I get emotional because it reminds me of a friend and former classmate of mine who died by suicide after being bullied over their identity.
To the person reading this, I’m not writing this piece to force you to agree with me. I’m writing this piece because this country is in desperate need of empathy.
Before I conclude this article, let me state this: I understand that politics aren’t meant to hold your hand and make everyone happy. However, I do believe that politics should lift all people up, and the politicians in power should show that they are willing to uplift others, even if they aren’t like their voter base.
You shouldn’t have to beg to receive human dignity just because you’re a different race, religion (or lack thereof), sexuality or political affiliation.
I have heard countless times that “politics don’t affect me.” It’s a privilege to say that “politics don’t affect me personally.”
Whether a person is queer or undocumented, you don’t have to be a member of a marginalized community to understand why some are scared for their lives. Mental health is no joke, especially in times of political tension such as now. With members of the GOP proposing bills such as defining “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” it’s painfully apparent how the trivialization of this country’s mental health issues is continuing in our nation’s politics.
If you or someone you love is experiencing suicidal ideation, please reach out to a trained mental health professional or call/text 988 (or 1-800-273-8255)
Kahwit Tela is a Staff Writer for On The Record from Nashville, Tennessee. He is a second-year Master of Professional Studies in Journalism student at The School of Continuing Studies. He is passionate about human rights advocacy, reporting on global affairs, and making comic book zines.