The U.K. citizens’ surprising approval of the Brexit referendum last June and the even more surprising U.S. election of Donald Trump as president on November 8 shook the world. Americans chose to elect a billionaire businessman, an outsider with no government experience, over Hillary Clinton, the candidate of the establishment. What economic and social forces might have prompted this upset? And what might we imagine are the implications of these outcomes?
The Millennial Bloggers are based all over the world. They are innovators in entrepreneurship, journalism, education, entertainment, and academic scholarship. This month we ask them to share their perspectives in a year of big surprises.
“For the teachers, parents, guardians, and role models of American youth, there was one resounding question: What do we tell our kids?” writes Francisco Hernandez (@StFrancis_X). After speaking with numerous teachers around the New York City area, he concludes, “What we do next will define our nation for much of the coming century. Our children are listening. They are watching closely.” Read: What Will You Tell Your Kids?
The election of Barack Obama “strengthened the position of America as the land of the free, home of the brave,” writes Alusine Barrie (@AlusineBarrie) from Sierra Leone. Alusine notes that America and Britain, two of the wealthiest nations in the world, have historically prospered at Africa’s expense and subsequently “owe the world a historical social responsibility. Instead of gravitating towards protectionist tendencies, let us all work together to break the ugly face of our collective past. Let us be human!” Read: America votes Donald Trump and Britain voted Brexit, so what?
“Love will trump Trump. Don’t judge others for their choices in this election; America as a country is confused, frustrated, and desperate for change. A friend of mine, a supporter of Hillary, recently posted a photo on Facebook of a plane ride she shared with a man who voted for Trump. They shared in stimulating conversation, drinks, and a headphone set. They found common ground….” From Isadora Baum (@LfyniBaum), Read: Where To Go From Here: The 2016 Election
Not nearly enough focus has been given to Trump winning 49 – 45 among white college graduates and losing 45 – 49 among all college graduates, a “far cry from the blowout that was supposed to happen among the more educated group,” observes James Kernochan (@SeamusMcK721). Could Trump have found “a new balance of policies that will have lasting potency in terms of channeling the populist energy and discontent that fueled an unprecedented sea change in our political landscape?” Read: The Great Recalibration: College-Educated Voters and the 2016 Election.
The politics and policies of the United States affects the whole world in one way or another, writes Dominique Alyssa Dryding. Dominique focuses on five topics in the aftermath of the US election “which warrant further discussion and reflection,” namely polarization, extremist/inward looking politics, being an example, the majority and an opportunity. Read: And Now Your Voice Your Vote
“We cannot continue functioning as a legitimately democratic republic while half of all eligible voters abstain from voting,” writes Jacob Deleon Navarrete (@JacobDNavarrete). “One could argue the results of the election support this: in the past five presidential cycles, our system has twice awarded the presidency to the candidate receiving fewer votes. Do we possess a government representative of its people, or a government of the few imposing itself on the many?” Read: Eh, It Won’t Count Anyways.
Discontent “is an engraved invitation to the strongman (and it has, almost unflinchingly always been a ‘man’) to seize the reins of a flailing polity,” writes Harmony Siganporia, but notes that in the case of Donald Trump, it’s “a man who has benefitted from (and continues to be a supporter of) free markets suddenly tapping into a protectionist and hypernationalist discourse as he plays up the insularity which has long been a hallmark of large parts of America.” Read: It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Take It Up With Dylan, Why Don’t You?)
“Americans as well as many Europeans are scared. Scared of losing their jobs, of the refugee crisis, of the fact that life hasn’t turned out the way they thought it would, of the possible change that is on its way in the form of a technological revolution. In this light it is understandable that someone who can promise that everything will be “great again” gains the votes,” writes Reetta Heiskanen (@reettahei). Read: In The Wake of The U.S Presidential Election.
The Millennial Bloggers hail from all over the world. Each writer is also a world traveler and, collectively, they have worked on every continent. The millennials claim their roots in diverse locations: the United States, China, Singapore, South Africa, India, Sierra Leone, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Finland.
The Millennial Bloggers are Alusine Barrie, Sophie Hemery, James Kernochan, Kamna Kathuria, Jacob Deleon Navarrete, Reetta Heiskanen, Shay Wright, Isadora Baum, Aw Cheng Wei, Francisco Hernandez, Erin Farley, Dominique Alyssa Dryding, Harry Glass, Harmony Siganporia and Bonnie Chiu. These remarkable young people have produced shows and founded companies. They have been featured on Forbes ‘Asia 30 Under 30’ list and honored by Asian Women of Achievement Awards. They have been awarded numerous scholarships and fellowships. They hold Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degrees. They run schools and train educators in underprivileged communities. They have taught all over the globe in environments ranging from maximum security prisons to elementary schools.
(All photos are courtesy of CMRubinWorld)
Shay Wright
Join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (U.S.), Dr. Leon Botstein (U.S.), Professor Clay Christensen (U.S.), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (U.S.), Dr. MadhavChavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (U.S.), Professor Andy Hargreaves (U.S.), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (U.S.), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Honourable Jeff Johnson (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. EijaKauppinen (Finland), State Secretary TapioKosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Lord Ken Macdonald (UK), Professor Geoff Masters (Australia), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Pak Tee Ng (Singapore), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (U.S.), Richard Wilson Riley (U.S.), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Professor Manabu Sato (Japan), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (U.S.), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (U.S.), Yves Theze (LyceeFrancais U.S.), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (U.S.), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.
The Global Search for Education Community Page
C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland, is the publisher of CMRubinWorld, and is a Disruptor Foundation Fellow.
Follow C. M. Rubin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@cmrubinworld
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