She Said, He Said: Are You Optimistic About 2017?

The following is the first entry in “She Said, He Said,” a new series of articles seeking to compare and contrast the various views, political, social or otherwise, of Millennials in today’s world. Elizabeth Lane is a 2016 Carson-Newman University graduate with a BA in Creative Writing, and has worked at the Jefferson County Post as a journalist and feature writer since shortly before her graduation. Jake Depew is a 2014 Carson-Newman University graduate with a BS in Philosophy. He is the assistant editor and a columnist for the Jefferson County Post, and is the Editor for the Gatlinburg Daily Post.

This article’s question: “Do you feel optimistic about 2017, in light of the new presidential administration?”

Elizabeth Lane

She said…

Many of us were ready to see the year 2016 make its grand exit. I would count myself among them, even though the year wasn’t particularly dreadful. That being said, I would like to say that 2017 has all kinds of potential.

Oh, sure, one look at national and international headlines might try to tell us different, but I would like to hold onto a simple hope. 2017 is anything and everything that you want to make it, regardless of what the headlines say. Every day is a choice; sometimes those choices are made for you or you see no way out. But there is, someway, somehow a way to change, both on a personal and political level.

It seems that every day our society and world are changing. New innovations are being made and man is striving forward. I would like to think in a society like that things are still possible. Go back to school, move across the country, and buy that plane ticket. I don’t mean to sound so carpe diem, but life is too short to live it unhappily. I know that sacrifices must be made, and there are certain circumstances that test even the strongest of us, but take whatever amount of happiness that you can. That being said, I will try to make 2017 a personal year of growth and happiness and (hopefully) succeed at doing new things, even if I have to focus more on my own life than politics.

With the changing of the year also comes the changing of power in our country. No one will soon forget the 2016 election season, with all of the twists and turns it seemed to hold daily. Ultimately, the people of the United States voted for change. As an adult I can respect that. It is obvious that things have not been working for any of us for quite a while. Many want to see Washington take on a whole new perspective.

Will President Trump be that new perspective? Only time can tell. For the sake of supporters and those that are in desperate need of help, I hope that he can deliver on at least most of what that he has promised to create and deliver. Frankly, the change in administration sets me slightly on edge. I am not sure how I feel about someone so inexperienced being the leader of the free world. I understand that Mr. Trump has surrounded himself with Washington and political elite, but I’m not sure that will be enough.

Perhaps the “president of the people” mojo that seems to be tossed around will work. Many need a voice and an advocate speaking for them on the higher levels. That might take some level of experience that Trump simply doesn’t have. However, it does not seem to be in the nature of politicians to speak for many, but rather a select and almost always favored few. Most of the time that does not seem to include the general masses.

Most likely, Trump will not continue in this fashion. He has made it very clear that he intends to play by his own rules and guidelines. For the rest of us, that simply means we have two options. We can sit back and watch and see what sort of triumph or chaos comes, or act. We may continue to fight for ourselves and each other, and continue striving to make society and the world a better place: both for those that are with us and those that will come after us.

Jake Depew

He said…

Am I optimistic about the future of this country? “Optimistic,” isn’t really the right word to describe me right now… or ever, now that I think about it. I’d go with something more along the lines of, “cautiously hopeful.” America has been the perpetrator of more international blunders than I care to even remember in recent years, and, for once, I think we may gain some ground on that front.

If you’ve been following the national news, you may wonder why anybody would ever think that the Trump administration would improve America’s image with its friends. First, I would question why you think America has any friends. America has allies, and while that distinction may seem tiny in times of peace, you’ll know the difference when it all hits the fan. For years now, America has handled foreign policy like it’s a kid on a playground. Don’t let those kids play with us, they’re not in the group! America, the Superpower in the West, started feeling diplomatically superior to virtually every other country it came across. Look at the news coverage of Russia. Did Russia try to influence our election? Yeah, probably. I’d argue we’re just mad they do it better than we do. Would it even matter if they did influence the election? At most they provided information, and people voted however they wanted. Regardless of the intent, that doesn’t mean you refuse to work with a country. What ever happened to keeping your enemies closer?

This is the biggest boon, in my eyes, of a Trump presidency. Nothing Trump could possibly do as president concerns me. The position is intentionally ineffective – just look at how the travel ban has been lifted. Sure, Trump will appeal, but the point is the president has to appeal to have his executive order upheld if we don’t like it. What he can do is open up negotiation with almost any country he chooses. This is a massive change in attitude. For the first time in decades, it’s anyone’s game. For those who say we shouldn’t play ball with the other big kid on the block, take a look at Nixon. If not for Nixon, we could all very well be speaking Chinese right now. He is the perfect example of what a president should actually do: open up relations and options internationally.

Now, do I believe Trump can realistically do that? I’m not honestly sure. I always considered Trump the “at least we know he’s different,” option. To be clear, I have no feelings one way or the other towards Trump. He could be terrible, he could be great. Even in light of the bad international press he’s gotten, he’s still the president of the United States, which means people will deal with him if he seems receptive. Britain in particular seems to dislike this approach, which seems strange to me. You’d think they would love how America has developed: we have an NSA that would make Big Brother Britain proud. I wonder why a country the size of an island doesn’t want their major ally to make new friends? All I’ve noticed is that all the doors are now open. I guess we’ll see which ones America walks through.