Opinion: Barron Trump storm proves what's wrong with the US

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in the following article belong solely to the author and do not reflect or represent Newsner.

Barron Trump has yet again found himself in the spotlight without asking for it. Kaya Walker, NYU College Republicans of America’s president, was forced to resign a few days ago over a comment she made about Barron being an “oddity on campus.” Her words spread across the internet and quickly went viral, and while some students seem to think the backlash has been exaggerated, Trump fans were furious.

So, I ask, is it really reasonable that a student president has to resign over such a harmless statement? And what message does it send to young people in the US that expressing your opinion, which in this case wasn’t that controversial, can lead to you losing status and respect?

In my mind, this proves all that’s wrong with the US today. It’s time to start thinking about what is important–and what kind of world we want to leave to the next generation. The political landscape in the US grows more divided by the day. Republicans blame the Democrats, Democrats blame Republicans, and in the end we’re left with few solutions and a great many problems.

A good deal of the vicious in-fighting doesn’t even concern significant issues such as taxes, health care, and the school system, but instead trivial matters such as pronouns and what the Gulf of America (the Gulf of Mexico) should be named.

Not everyone is going to agree on all issues discussed, but freedom of speech is one of the foundations upon which the civilized world has been built. It’s the one thing that should never be suppressed – but sadly, in the US and other parts of the world, it’s happening constantly.

What’s even worse is when a person becomes the subject of a witch hunt for simply expressing an opinion, and, worse, one that can’t be objectively considered divisive or offensive. Sadly, that doesn’t matter in some political spheres, and what the former president of College Republicans of America, Kaya Walker, had to endure this week should give us all cause for concern.

Walker was interviewed by Vanity Fair for an article about Barron Trump. She described the POTUS’ son an “oddity on campus,” and though that should in no way, shape or form be construed as a controversial opinion to hold, the backlash was swift and devastating. Her comments went viral, and thousands of angry MAGA supporters grabbed pitchfork and torch in order to go after her.

Student president had to resign over comment on Barron Trump

“How dare she say something bad about Donald Trump’s son?” was a common sentiment. People wanted her removed from the Republican college group. Read that again: college group.

Walker, a senior at NYU, was ultimately forced to resign from her position, and it proves once again that the political landscape and tone are growing wildly out of control. That a young person should face severe personal consequences for airing a non-malicious opinion in ONE sentence, flies in the face of the ideals concerning how most of us believe the world should work. It shows the dark side of society as it is today, and in reality, the outrage on social media was blown way out of proportion.

And what message does it send to our children? Do we want to discourage them from expressing their opinions for fear of a backlash that leads to them possibly losing esteemed roles or even jobs? That a student of a college club can’t express herself without having the book thrown at her says tells us all we need to know about the debate that is going on, both in real life and on social media.

Simply put, the political climate in the US is in a terrible state, with discussions devolving into accusation throwing at one other and not even listening to what’s being said. When did Americans become so sensitive to vague criticisms of their politicians or, in this case, celebrity family members of politicians?

It is simple: we must do better. Nor should we take everything we disagree on as a personal insult. Yes, it’s OK to believe that Kaya Walker’s opinion wasn’t appropriate, but is it reasonable for her to lose her position at the college club for it?

“It’s time to seriously consider what future we leave to our children”

There’s a fine line between accountability and suppression of free speech, and we should encourage debate on all matters big or small. But when an individual is punished for sharing an opinion, when online mobs dictate what is permitted or not, a worrying realization is that free speech and the dream of a free and healthy America are dangerously close to heading down the drain.

It’s time to seriously consider what future we leave to our children and what example we set. Right now, I’m certainly not proud of where we stand.

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