You don’t follow X-MEN IN YOUR FACE!!! for politics. At least, you don’t follow this Tumblr for real world politics, because every X-Fan knows the X-Men are inherently political. They are anti-prejudice, anti-bigotry, identity politics made colorful and powerful metaphor. They are quite possibly the most political superhero comic out there, so it feels like this post needs to be written. And it needs to be written this election, more than any election in history.
This election is not a joke, even though it’s provided plenty of fodder for comedians. This is the most dangerous and important election of your lifetime. And it’s relevant to X-MEN IN YOUR FACE because of pages like the ones above, pages that look either like the literal discourse unfolding in our country right now – or pages that serve as a grim portent of things to come. And no, this is not hyperbole.
Donald Trump has called Mexicans rapists. He said an American judge could not do his job because of his Mexican heritage. He has promised to create a “deportation force” to round up illegal immigrants, splitting up families in the process. And, of course, there’s the wall, the Muslim ban and his new pledge to take stop-and-frisk national. We can’t forget his five-year crusade to delegitimize America’s first black president (and his insincere apology). He attacked a gold star family because of their faith. Trump wants to overturn marriage equality and chose a running mate, Mike Pence, who has shockingly regressive stances on the LGBT community. Actual white supremacists support Trump in droves.
If you care about equality, human rights, compassion, empathy and fighting against prejudice – and odds are you do, if you’re an avid X-Men fan – then you cannot vote for Donald Trump. To put this in X-Men terms, a vote for Donald Trump is a vote for Orange Mojo.
A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for Emma Frost – a woman with diamond-hard skin that has battled sexism, persevering in situations where she’s the only woman in the room, nonstop for almost 40 years. She draws extreme criticism, some of it very sexist, and is a polarizing figure. But despite constant attacks and setbacks, she keeps on fighting against the biggest villains on Earth. And the one thing that’s been a constant: her mission to help kids and students. She’s a supporter of disability rights and fought to make schools more accessible for all kids, and – years before she was a public figure – a 24-year-old Hillary went undercover to help expose schools practicing segregation.
There’s the Hillary that, as a New York senator on 9/11, was furious about the lies told about the air at Ground Zero and fought to get first responders the healthcare they needed (reminder: Trump spent 9/11 gloating about how his building was now the tallest one in lower Manhattan). And while Trump and Pence want to take LGBT rights back to when America was only great for straight, white men, Clinton is for progress. Sarah McBride became the first trans person to speak at a national political convention at the DNC, and she’s a staunch supporter of marriage equality (and, along with President Obama, a great example of someone whose opinions course correct when faced with new information and turn towards compassion and empathy). That last bit is important: Clinton apologizes. She faces those that disagree with her face-to-face, listens, and apologizes – and then promises takes action. Donald Trump does not know how to apologize.
No matter what memes, Facebook or dubiously-sourced articles are telling you, this election is not between two candidates that are “equally unfit.” It’s an election between a bigoted reality show star who refuses to release his tax returns or any substantial information about his health – and a lawyer/senator/Secretary of State with over 40 years of public service who’s worked closely with the last three presidents. And yes, she’s released a lot of information about her health and tax returns. And as Bernie Sanders himself has said, this is not the year for a protest vote. This cannot be overemphasized: this is not the year for a protest vote.
Please vote. Please. If you’ve never voted before, there are so many resources to help you get registered and get active. Your vote matters. This election is terrifyingly close – and it’s close in states that have never been swing states before. If you live in a traditionally red state, your vote matters more than ever. Yes, yours. As President Obama said, all of the progress made in the last eight years is on the ballot this year. If Trump wins, it is all gone.
This is an election between Orange Mojo and Emma Frost. Vote for the X-Man.
MORE READING:
The New York Times, “Hillary Clinton for President”
The Guardian, “Hating Donald Trump Isn’t Enough - We Need To Talk About Why Clinton Rules”
PolitiFact, “Comparing Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump On The Truth-O-Meter”
Mother Jones, “Why Are There Any Liberals Supporting Gary Johnson?”
The Atlantic, “How Breitbart Conquered The Media”
The Washington Post, “The Hillary Clinton E-Mail Story Is Out Of Control”
The Washington Post, “Trump’s History Of Corruption Is Mind-Boggling, So Why Is Clinton Supposedly the Corrupt One?”
The New York Times, “Hillary Clinton Gets Gored”