American students shocked, but not surprised by storming of Capitol

This article is also available in Dutch

No, the two students are not Trump supporters. Sebastian Yost (first year creative media and game technologies), who lives in South Carolina, found the images ‘very stressful’. "The worst thing is that you're not even surprised. We could see this explosion of violence coming, because the country is so divided. But I am hopeful. Maybe this excess was needed to show the true face of the fascist Trump and his followers.”

Yost grew up in the south of the United States, where the republicans rule. "A conservative and not very tolerant area. As a member of the LHBTI community, I didn't feel comfortable there”, says Yost. "That balance is increasingly turning towards intolerance, even where I live now. I don't always feel safe. That's why I opted for an education in Europe. I just got my visa and I'm going to the Netherlands when I can, because I want to live in a country where you can be yourself.”

Is the upcoming president Joe Biden the solution to the problems in the US? Yost doesn't think so. "The intolerance is so deep in our society. But I hope that we have reached a turning point. The change has to come from the local communities, that's where the people have to get back together.”

Molly Stenhouse (international class physiotherapy) is married to a Dutchman and lives in Enschede. "My husband is a news junkie and alerted me to the news," she says. "The images of the Capitol were a big shock and made me furious, I was really afraid that there would be large-scale violence. And the president, who stirred up the whole thing, remained absent. He didn't call his dogs back."

According to Stenhouse, America is a deeply divided country, and she thinks it's high time that the inhabitants go in search of their commonalities. "When I came to The Netherlands in 2018, my husband explained the polder model, where elected parties no matter how small are represented in politics. In the United States the winner takes all. That encourages polarization. In that respect America can learn from the Netherlands."

Families

This polarization also shows in Stenhouse's family. She is a democrat, her parents are republicans. "That's why I never talk about politics with my father, because it would drive a wedge between us. With my mother it is possible, be it superficial. With her I called yesterday about the news. You see this division within families throughout the United States. If families don't break through this polarization, there will  always be a huge gray elephant in the room."

Coverphoto: Blink O'fanaye // flickr.com/photosblinkofanaye