THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- November 10, 2016- Topic 2
Donald Trump will be the 45th President
of the United States. These words will
echo in the hearts of 324 million Americans today, some shell-shocked and
downcast, others delirious with joy. The sheer divergence of emotions over the
surprise result is a poignant signal of how deeply divided the nation is, after
a polarising two-year election campaign. Bigotry, patriarchy and racist
rancour, which reared their ugly heads throughout this season of incivility,
may find no welcome catharsis with the apotheosis of Mr. Trump. According to
the exit polls, 58 per cent of whites and 21 per cent of non-whites voted for
Mr. Trump, whereas 37 per cent of whites and 74 per cent of non-whites voted
for his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. He also scored higher with men
than women, and with those voters who did not have a college degree. In other
words, blue-collared white men and women thronged to Mr. Trump in droves, angry
about their perceived impoverishment and disenfranchisement inflicted by the
country’s political and financial elites. It had left them with only one
option: to throw a metaphorical grenade at these power centres.
At the heart of the shock result is the
shock itself, which stemmed from what most analysts have been calling the vote
of the “silent majority”. Why did the U.S. media and pollsters fail to see
which way the wind was blowing? They apparently did not suspect, when poll
results suggested that Ms. Clinton was the more acceptable candidate, that some
of the respondents to these polls may have been unwilling to admit to being
supporters of Mr. Trump. It is likely for instance that women, 42 per cent of
whom voted for Mr. Trump, were reluctant to reveal their preference after Mr.
Trump was exposed for boasting about sexual assault and faced allegations of
the same. What was not taken proper note of was that in almost every swing
State, there were between 11 and 18 per cent “undecided” voters in late October
— a significant number of people that tilted the election in favour of Mr.
Trump. Insofar as this election reflected expressions of frustration that went
against the grain of political correctness, the Trump victory resembles Brexit.
However, in his victory speech Mr. Trump has appeared to quickly move past
campaign recrimination, the conciliatory tone of which may go a little way in
calming nerves at home as well as of anxious world leaders watching the election
from afar. If indeed he presents a softer, more collaborative face at home and
abroad, the Divided States of America may yet hold firm and lend strength to
the global order, as it has done in the past.
Vocabulary
Downcast: (of a person's eyes) looking downward.
Example: Her modestly downcast eyes
Synonyms: despondent, disheartened, discouraged, dispirited, downhearted, crestfallen, down
Delirious: in an acutely disturbed state of mind resulting from illness or
intoxication and characterized by restlessness, illusions, and incoherence of
thought and speech.
Example: If left untreated, the patient may be highly agitated, develop insomnia,
become delirious or go into a coma.
Synonyms: incoherent, raving, babbling, irrational, feverish, frenzied, deranged
Poignant: evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.
Example: A poignant reminder of the passing of time
Synonyms: touching, moving, sad, affecting, pitiful, piteous, pathetic
Bigotry: bigoted attitudes; intolerance toward those who hold different opinions
from oneself.
Example: The report reveals racism and right-wing bigotry
Patriarchy: a system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is
head of the family and descent is traced through the male line.
Overall male gain depends on
the constant renewal of structures of male solidarity and patriarchy
over-riding immediate economic or class interests.
Rancour: bitterness or resentfulness, especially when long-standing.
Example: He spoke without rancor
Synonyms: bitterness, spite, hate, hatred, resentment, malice, ill
will
Catharsis: the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or
repressed emotions.
Example: It's easy to write off Dumont's dark view as cynical, even delusional and
childish, and it's even easier to laugh off the film's emotional catharses in
order to create a safe distance.
Synonyms: emotional
release, relief, release, venting, purging, purgation
Apotheosis: the highest point in the development of something; culmination or climax.
Example: His appearance as Hamlet was the apotheosis of his career
Stemmed: having a stem of a specified length or kind.
Example: Red-stemmed alder bushes
Resemble: have qualities or features, especially those of appearance, in common with
(someone or something); look or seem like.
Example: Some people resemble their dogs
Synonyms: look like, be similar to, be like, bear a resemblance
to, remind one of
Conciliatory: intended or likely to placate or pacify.
Example: A conciliatory approach
Synonyms: propitiatory, placatory, appeasing, pacifying, mollifying