About three weeks before the 2016 Presidential Election Day, an Instagram account called “bhsfortrump” was created and posted its first photo.
The picture of a red, white, and blue blimp with Donald Trump’s motto, “Make America Great Again!” printed on the front received over 24 likes and nearly two hundred comments.
Many Berkeley High School and non-BHS students posted their pressing questions and opinions on the page. Some of the comments surrounding the blimp picture expressed confusion, support, or hate, sparking debate amongst commenters.
The main question, asked by multiple people, was if bhsfortrump’s posts and account were a joke or whether the page reflected the student’s political beliefs. The Instagram account bvbyygvrll commented on the picture saying, “Is this even real?”
Many people say that bhsfortrump could be a joke because, as BHS student Asia Guzman said, “A lot of people from what I’ve seen at Berkeley High really hate Trump.”
Guzman believes that the bhsfortrump account is most likely BHS students mocking Trump and Trump supporters. An anonymous BHS student who left a comment on the Instagram page later said, “I believe that it could be [a joke], but still, we should address it like it isn’t. Because, yes, people do have the freedom of speech, but this isn’t alright because it’s very offensive to a lot of people.”
Even though he takes caution with bhsfortrump’s page, he emphasized that the Instagram account might impact others. Many BHS students were quick to respond to the page.
Guzman was not shocked by the variety of emotions expressed in the comments because she expected it. She was suprised, however, by the amount of people who responded in such a short amount of time.
Similarly, a BHS junior who requested to remain anonymous was not surprised by how quickly the comments accumulated, but also thinks that BHS students should open their minds more to differentiating thoughts. “I think it’s really ridiculous that people are so quick to think this is a joke. Yes, it could be, but it just shows how students do not have any respect for other people’s opinions,” they said. The Instagram account and bhsfortrump commenter “J.tal” considers Berkeley’s anti-conservative environment to be immensely difficult to navigate through, especially for Trump supporters.
In reference to the creation of the bhsfortrump account, he said, “I think it was courageous. In Berkeley, it’s often hard to voice your opinion if it defies liberal norms without being shut down or threatened.”
However, there are others who disagree with J.tal. An anonymous BHS student said, “I don’t think it’s brave. I think it’s ignorant.”
Many commenters have been waiting for the account manager of bhsfortrump to reply to their questions, but the manager has only responded a few times to the many comments they have received. Bhsfortump wrote, “Y’all are just proving how Berkeley High liberals are immature. You disagree with our political opinions so the first thing you do is insult us instead of engaging us in a real debate.”
Shortly after bhsfortrump posted its first photo, a second image was posted. The new picture shows Trump behind a podium holding an African American girl with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as the caption.
The BHS junior said, “They didn’t use hate speech or any bigotry language, so I really don’t have a problem with it. Again, I do not know their intention behind it, whether they are trying to mock MLK or idolize him.”
With about 102 followers, following 476 people, and five posts, bhsfortrump sparked conversation throughout BHS and the greater Berkeley community.
In addition, following the creation of the bhsfortrump account, many Berkeley High students found the newly opened instagram page titled, called “bhsforhillary.” The account manager posted photos supporting Clinton’s candidacy.
Some students commented, discussing the bhsforhillary page in comparison with the bhsfortrump page. Others addressed the common use of media with the 2016 presidential election.
The Instagram account highlights the widespread use of social media in modern day political campaigns and movements.
According to the Pew Research Center, sixteen percent of registered voters followed candidates for office, political parties, or elected officials on social networking sites in 2015.
This figure is ten percent higher than it was in 2010.
On October 31, the account operator of the bhsfortrump Instagram deleted the account. This, in turn, deleted the comments regarding the account. Bhsfortrump’s account attracted commenters not only from BHS, but also BHS alumni, and even people from from states outside of California.
The page’s 102 Instagram followers consisted of curious students, the bhsrepublicans Instagram page, and the bhspolicedept Instagram page.
The bhsfortrump account operator does not want to be named, but said that they decided to remove the account because there was just “too much heat.”
The bhsforhillary Instagram account was also taken down within days of the removal of the bhsfortrump Instagram page.