{"id":2122,"date":"2016-10-19T10:38:14","date_gmt":"2016-10-19T08:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=60238"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:08","slug":"choose-between-gonorrhoea-and-cholera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/10\/19\/choose-between-gonorrhoea-and-cholera\/","title":{"rendered":"Choose between gonorrhoea and cholera"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLevien Willemse<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Those delving into Donald Trump\u2019s business affairs will find themselves falling into a black hole of bankruptcies, exploitation, lawsuits and dodgy deals, and his fledgling political career didn\u2019t get off to a great start, either.<\/p>\n

Calling Mexicans rapists, spreading malicious rumours about Muslims, scoffing at disabled reporters, explaining a female journalist\u2019s behaviour by referring to her menstrual cycle \u2013 Trump has done it all.<\/p>\n

It should be easy to campaign against a pathological liar such as Trump. However, it\u2019s the end of September and polls are showing Hillary Clinton is just a few percentage points ahead of Trump, a fact commonly attributed to sexism. Because whereas a man\u2019s behaviour would be called \u2018firm\u2019, Clinton is often said to be \u2018bossy\u2019 or \u2018shrill\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u201cMillennials and critical journalists are spoiled and unrealistic, they say\u201d\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Yet, I feel this is only a partial explanation for Clinton\u2019s disappointing lead over a completely insane opponent. Die-hard sexists will vote Trump, anyway. No, what this is all about is the fact that one of the most progressive sections of the American population, the so-called millennials, is still not joining the Clinton camp.<\/p>\n

This generation \u2013 born in the 1980s and 1990s \u2013 more or less grew up on the Internet, which is also its main source of news and entertainment. When mainstream journalists murmur nice things about Clinton\u2019s progressive agenda, millennials only need a quick Google search to find that she mainly lobbied for disastrous trade treaties and polluting industries, and that she was very late to support gay marriage. And while commentators may cite Clinton\u2019s international experience as proof that she is suited to being President, millennials will know that she supported the catastrophic invasion of Iraq, has a circle of friends which includes former dictators and was involved in a coup against a democratically elected president.<\/p>\n

Julian Assange<\/h3>

The pro-Clinton media\u2019s response to this scepticism says it all. Millennials and critical journalists are spoiled and unrealistic, they say. And if Trump should win, it will all be their fault. Reactions such as these only strengthen millennials\u2019 impression that Clinton feels she has an inalienable right to the presidency.<\/p>\n

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange provided a fitting description of the race for the presidency, calling the battle between Trump and Clinton a choice between gonorrhoea and cholera. We will find out in a less than a month how the American democracy will be diagnosed.<\/p>\n

Giorgio Touburg is a PhD student at the Rotterdam School of Management.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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