Editorial: Division is a dangerous tool

The Lookout staff recently received our first letter to the editor of this school year, from a member of our community who is “very concerned about the coming election.”

We do not print anonymous letters, but this letter was definitely noteworthy. The anonymous writer lays out the many reasons why a second Donald Trump presidency would be a dangerous choice for the country to make.

“How can anyone consider voting for a man who clearly does not hold dear the principles and beliefs our country was founded on?” the letter states in part. “A man who incites division instead of unity and hate instead of love. A man who believes in only his own gain and who is not for the people.”

The staff here at The Lookout could not agree more. The division in this country is a dangerous tool Trump can absolutely use to secure a second term, and we are positive he is aware of this.

We want to use this editorial as an opportunity to express our gratitude and concern as well for the state of the nation, and advise those with similar fears to use your voice in November.

Our anonymous community member also expressed fear that Trump “wants to exclude immigrants, yet immigrants are the foundation our country was built on.” This is a fact that frustrates our staff as well.

Our editor in chief is a third-generation immigrant who grew up in a time when Mexicans were heavily ridiculed. This type of rhetoric keeps the country from truly being the great place it could.

While Americans have for decades been discussing the ways in which elections boil down to “the lesser of two evils,” the war in Gaza has complicated this choice further. Many struggle to support Kamala Harris based on her refusal to withdraw from the conflict and divest in Israel.

Even those who have been adamant about Harris renouncing the violence in Gaza are beginning to soften their tone. The Uncommitted movement, which began here in Michigan, recently urged voters to “register anti-Trump votes and vote up and down the ballot,” in order to further their mission to “[build] a broad anti-war coalition both inside and outside the Democratic Party.”

Instead of allowing fear to divide us, we must all come together to see our collective dream for a better future through. You matter to your community here at LCC. We see you, and we encourage you to vote this fall for the country you wish to live in.