In the midst of the sometimes unbelievable stories coming out of the 2016 Presidential Election, it became hard to remember that there was a world outside of this presidential race.
Given America’s significant foothold in international affairs, the race drew considerable attention from people around the world. Students from abroad currently attending schools in the United States have been in a unique position to see the election process from both an internal and external perspective. With 21 countries represented within the nearly 100 international students at Tabor, there were a considerable number of outsider perspectives around campus.
Naturally, many of the students judged the election based on the candidate’s opinions and plans regarding foreign policy, specifically with their home nation.
“Obviously, having a Korean heritage background, I would be supporting the candidate who wants to continue to support foreign policies rather than just domestic issues,” said senior Sean Choi, a Korea native.
Although most of the students will spend the next four years and beyond in the United States for the remainder of high school and college, the wellbeing of their native country throughout this period is in the forefront.
“I know that many of my friends and other Bermudians are concerned with how the United States will interact with other countries, especially Europe, with new foreign affair strategies and opinions,” said Julianna Brewer, a senior from Bermuda.
For the students from China, the election did not bring forward considerable policy differences towards their home nation between the two candidates. Although the candidates came at the issue differently, they both agreed that China has taken millions of jobs from American workers and that something must be done to bring those jobs back to the states. Because of this, Jack Shi, a senior from China, sees the candidates in a more “neutral perspective.”
“I don’t really have a preference because their policies towards China are kind of similar,” said Shi.
Beyond the issues of foreign policy, the unconventional approaches by both candidates throughout the election have been a topic of interest, concern, and even amusement for many students. These students have watched previous American elections from both inside the U.S. and abroad, and see the differences between this year’s election and the others.
“It seems like this election is filled with mud-slinging and personal attacks on both sides. What I saw from previous elections were debates of policies and what is good for the people. Although they was some mud-slinging, it wasn’t particularly distracting,” said Shi.
Aly Hussein, a sophomore from Egypt, saw the elections as “a bit disrespectful and disappointing to some people.” He continued, “Women, Muslims, Mexicans are getting insulted right on TV. Some candidates are making fun of the people and each other. It’s just disrespectful.”
Yudai Yamakawa, a sophomore from Japan, was able to find the humor in the whole situation.
“I think it’s more fun to watch and follow the American election [than a Japanese election] because they fight a lot,” joked Yamakawa.
The consequences of this election in terms of the merits of democracy and the American electoral system were ever apparent for most international students, who know their home government and electoral process well. The conversations surrounding the two candidates were largely negative, leading to feelings of distaste for the candidates rather than admiration. Tony Hwang, a junior from South Korea, saw it this way.
“I think this election shows why democracy is not a perfect system,” said Hwang. “I feel like nobody is voting for candidates because they like them. They actually support their candidates because there are no other options.”
Before the election wrapped up on Tuesday, international students echoed the sentiments of frustration felt by many throughout the community and the nation regarding this year’s election cycle.
When asked whether she was ready for the election to be over, Brewer responded bluntly, “PLEASE.” Finally, approximately 600 days later, the whole world can take a sigh of relief.
By Jack Gordon