The “The Beginning of the End” is how the University Philosophical Society (the Phil) described the US election as they hosted a lock-in last night in the the Graduates Memorial Building (GMB).
The anticipation for the night was evident by the staggering queue that wrapped around the GMB on Monday when tickets were being allocated. In the end, it took about 10 minutes for the event to be deemed full. The fateful night approached and the Phil Conversation Room was adorned with patriotic paraphernalia. Chairs were lined like those in a cinema in front of two screens that aired separate American news channels. Clinton and Trump campaign posters hung on the walls, transporting ticket holders to an election hub-like cocoon. It was easy to forget that we were all sitting in the middle of campus and not a candidate’s headquarters.
The event was advertised as set to provide a “perpetual vacillation between excitement and fear”, a promise that turned out to be worryingly accurate as the two main candidates crept up on each other as early votes were announced. Spirits were fairly high in the first few hours of the count as many had deemed a Democratic result inevitable.
As each state’s votes came in and each time Clinton won, there was a unison applause. However, as the night went on, this dwindled when it became apparent that Trump was performing better than expected. The wait for key states’ votes like Florida was arduous and took most of the night, with eyes darting from each of the screens displaying different news networks or electoral statistics. Laptops lit up exhausted eyes as people searched for more up to date results. The frustration was palpable as news networks were slow to announce votes that were visible online.
Although the name “The Beginning of the End” was in jest, by the morning many left the GMB feeling like that sentiment rang true. There was no celebration, only sheer disbelief that the seemingly unelectable was elected. Not many stayed to listen to Trump’s acceptance speech but those who did watched with a tired incredulity. Through the fog of sleep deprived delirium, the announcement that he had won defied belief.
Even though the result was disappointing for most, Phil President, Matthew Nuding, thanked all who came to this intense night of contentious politics.
