By Sadie Murphy

When it comes to the January 6 chaos in the Capitol, politicians and past presidents were not the only one’s voicing concern on social media. Past and present students, faculty, and community members had a lot to say too.

In Dr. Marjorie Stewart’s English 101 course, students became familiar with The Constitution. We talked to one of her students about this experience and how it affected their opinion on the D.C. chaos.  Ceara Scott thought Stewart’s usage of The Constitution as an example of good literature was a good idea “because [they] not only got an example of how to write in a professional way, but [they] also got a chance to relearn [their] constitution and see that there were parts of it being broken.”

When asked how she felt about the chaos, Scott said, “I can’t even begin to comprehend how they are getting away with it. Like if this happened during the BLM protest, I have no doubt in my mind that people would have been arrested or worst. I think its kind of dumb for them to be storming the Capitol just because Trump lost. Republicans have lost before. I don’t see why this is any different.”

We have seen the people storming the Capitol called “protestors” and “anarchists” alike. Scott wasn’t sure what to call them, other than “the simplest way to say it is that I think they are stupid.” She isn’t the only one who was confused or caught off guard by the events.

Former Professor Dr. James Maku  stated, “I think what is happening in DC is disgraceful to the country in general – but as a foreigner, I will just leave it at that.” He acknowledged his own biases toward the ideology of the current president and his followers but explained that he did not ever think anything like this was possible in America, saying “I thought America is the greatest country in the world and they respect democracy so much because they police other countries and would have condemned other countries if this was happening there. It is really a shame this is happening here in America. Frankly, the President caused this whole thing with his lies and baseless and false claims.”

There were many who sided with Maku, sharing their opinions through rants, memes, and sharing posts that really spoke to them. The following is a collage of social media posts by past and present students, faculty, and community members whose names have been blurred out for a variety of reasons.

One student, Magnus Anderson-Lake, expressed that he didn’t need his name blurred because he has “no problem with people knowing [he] hates racists.” He said it was his last semester here at GSC and ,“If somebody wants to come at me, that shows their true colors.”

His post features a shared news image from NPR.org depicting individuals inside the Capitol building without permission. Anderson-Lake comments, “Crazy how just a few months ago, if certain groups would’ve tried this, they’d have been hit with rubber bullets, pepper sprayed in the face, or even shot… ” His Facebook friends were quick to acknowledge his post, some even reacting with a crying face.

People are angry, sad, scared, and confused during this chaos, especially those who are too young to have seen anything like this or those who are new to America.

President Elect Joe Biden stated, “This is not who we are. At our best, America's always been -- and if I have anything to do with it -- it will be again, generous, confident, an optimistic nation, full of hope and resolve.”

In these words, Biden provides hope to the American people - the scared, the angry, and the confused.