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In an short essay distributed by The New Yorker and titled “Living in Trump’s Soviet Union,” Gary Shteyngart comments on the state of present-day America (and much of the Western world for that matter), comparing it to late-twentieth century Russia, drawing on many parallels that continue exist in the Western world today. Shteyngart also draws reference to the American society he grew up in as an immigrant. I think what this essay proves the most is that any apparent progress that has been made in terms of acceptance and equality of races and ethnicities that are not Western and White has been very slow, if there has been progression at all. To quote Shteyngart, “[t]he graffito ‘Russia is for the Russians,’ scribbled next to a synagogue, and the words ‘Vote Trump,’ written on a torched black church in Mississippi, are separated by the cold waters of the Atlantic but united by an imaginary grievance—a vigil for better times that may never have existed.” Despite his claim of surprise, I believe Shteyngart was well aware of this issue well before the 2016 election, or even the Republican presidential nomination campaign. In his novel Absurdistan, Shteyngart tells the fictional, darkly-humorous story of Misha: a Russian Jew that does not want to be considered a Russian Jew at all, but instead yearns for a multicultural identity and craves to be back in America – the land of supposed opportunity, freedom, liberty, justice, and love. And yet, despite Misha’s love and want for America, it rejects him on the basis of his Father killing an Oklahoman man: an event he had no involvement in. Although the circumstances are deeply different, and the novel’s problems are only fictional, there are many parallels to be drawn from Absurdistan, (written over ten years ago in 2006 and set before the fateful events of September 11, 2001) to the present problems that America is facing and has been facing for decades. The book, in my opinion, proves that although many Americans seem to believe that Trump’s rise to power has brought about a new kind of racism and hate, it is simply not true. Racism and hate have seemingly always existed in America, and indeed, the world; it is the same hate experienced years ago in the Russia and U.S. that Shteyngart grew up to know. Trump is no doubt a catalyst, and proponent, and an encourager of such behaviour, but the ideologies themselves are nothing new – they have existed for years and have only been hidden in less obvious ways until recently. Misha, although arguably obnoxious and self-important, is not a real threat to American society, and yet, he is deemed to be one because of his familial ties. This can in many ways be linked to the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis (and other such global issues); America is more than hesitant to accept Syrian refugees because they have apparent ties through religion and ethnicity (although not through senses of empathy or ideology, and even the tie to religion is arguable) to people that have threatened Western society. It is the same reason why Trump wants to build a wall to keep out illegal Mexican immigrants, whom he has previously categorized as “bad hombres,” rapists, and drug-dealers, and also the reasoning behind the more recent, controversial “Muslim Ban.” In closing his essay, Shteyngart says, “[…] I grew up in a dystopia—will I have to die in one, too?” It is a good question to ask, and unfortunately at the present-time (as in the preceding years), the answer does not seem to be hopeful or promising.

Here is a link to the essay, if anyone is interested: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/21/aftermath-sixteen-writers-on-trumps-america#shteyngart

I would also encourage you to take a look at Shteyngart's official Facebook page. His post concerning the Muslim Ban, although short, offered a much-needed perspective.

After reading both the very interesting posts of my fellow classmates and the article "Living in Trumps Soviet Union" (the Dystopia section by Gary Shtenyngart) as well as the novel Absurdistan as it is hard not to notice Shtenyngarts strong opinion on the topic of globalization. In this article Shtenyngart compares current day America to Russia in 1979, when the soviet union was still in power and people faced mass oppression under a communist system of government. During this discussion he describes how there is security in being white when we live in a world that is so plagued by racism and in the article he states that "racism, misogyny and antisemitism bind people closer then any other experiences" which is an idea that i think really showed its self in the aftermath of the American presidential election, as the result of which we saw Trump, a man who is openly racist and sexist among other things, appeal to so many Americans and now represents them globally. Shtenyngart continues throughout the article to compare Russia and the U.S in the context of dystopia and authoritarianism as he frighteningly predicts the future of the U.S. This being said however, as my fellow classmates mentioned in their posts it is obvious that Trump didn't invent racism, and he is just a symptom of a much larger problem that has been in existence for much of history, but i think it can also be said that during the election Trump used his raciest ideology to inspire hatred in others and to rally people for his cause, the effects of which are now being felt all over the world, an example being with his travel ban.
This idea is in turn reflected within Absurdistan as many of these attitudes are reflected through Misha who exhibits racist behaviors despite the fact that he claims to be cultured and accepting of all individuals. I think the Misha can be compared to Trump in the sense that they both want to use globalism to their own benefits for example Misha has taken part in the mass consumption of American culture and now expects and is discontent with anything other then that level of convenience, where as Trump is willing to have his name known all over the world as a business man with his chain of hotels and buildings- both are willing to accept globalism if they can profit in someway but are otherwise unwilling to let others benefit, nor are they accepting of cultural diffrences.
I think that especially with Trump as president of the U.S , a very large and powerful nation, globalism will be an issue of importance in the world and it will be interesting to see where we all end up at the end of this, but as Shtenyngart is predicting, and how my fellow classmates also feel, the outcome does not look hopeful.

I like this post and how it links Shteyngart's pre-Trump work to his essay on Trump's America. There are a lot of surprising parallels between "Abrsurdistan" and today's America, such as Misha being kept from entering the US because of his family resembling the way Trump tries to ban people of various backgrounds (such as those from Muslim majority countries as well as the "bad hombres" from Mexico).
I also agree with the way "Super Sad True Love Story" can relate back to this argument. While it is not necessarily a book about politics, politics do play a huge role. There is this almost dystopian feeling to the America in the book, which evidently reflects the way some people feel about America's fate while Trump is in office.