“In politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue.” This is the advice that former President Barack Obama gave during his commencement speech to the students of Rutgers University in 2016.

Unfortunately, almost a year later, ignorance of all kinds is being exhibited now more than ever, due to the divisive political climate.

In the aforementioned speech, the quote cited was in reference to President Trump’s campaign objective to build a wall between the United States and Mexico.

The former president made a point that suggested that we can build a wall along our borders and blame our challenges on immigrants is xenophobic and unethical.

The type of ignorance and hypocrisy that plagues many Americans was displayed last week as a group of students on spring break chanted “Build the wall,” while aboard a cruise ship in Cancun, Mexico.

This elitist point of view is severely warped, considering these students are exploiting the country they are actively lobbying against.

According to the Yucatan Times, the Americans continued to chant despite the outward uncomfortability of other passengers and staff.

The locals on board implored the chanters to stop “but the Americans did not stop at all and continued singing the racist hymn,” the Yucatán Times stated.

Throughout Trump’s campaign, the timeline of who is to pay for the border wall has flip-flopped so frequently that it has become a comical exchange between himself and the president of Mexico, who from day one has asserted that his country will take no part in the construction.

Since Trump’s plan to force Mexico to pay for the wall failed miserably, his back-up plan is to take the money out of American tax dollars and have Mexico “repay the United States 100 percent.”

Yeah Donald, great plan.

The Yucatan Times reported the incident aboard the cruise ship was not an isolated incident but part of a larger list of complaints from locals, “who point out that in recent days many spring breakers have been offensive, rude and haughty towards Mexican people.”     

The overbearing and aggressive patriotism and bigotry displayed by these young adults is an indicator that the respect and importance of culture and human rights in general is not a priority for some Americans.                                             

When discourse that incites hatred has become commonplace, it opens up an opportunity for a pseudo-Hitler to take control of a country and repeat history.

The audacity of Americans to disregard an entire country of people and be complacent with locking them out like animals is reminiscent of historical mindsets that extend to present day under a more nuanced facade.

To make a mockery of an entire people is to isolate ourselves from reality and progression, and that itself is a slippery slope.