When Donald Trump was elected President, half of our nation was devastated. But what if it's not all bad? What if the outrage we're feeling can be channeled into making America truly great again? What if we attempt to work with Trump instead of against him? Here are 10 simple things you can do to make America great again, even with a Trump presidency.
1. Research- As hard as it may be to admit, Donald Trump is not the anti-Christ. He has some good plans. Are they all good? No. But do you hear about the good ones in the media? No. What we need to do is get out there and research for ourselves. Educate yourself on issues you may not all that aware of like TPP, foreign affairs, tax brackets, etc. A lot of the people opposing Donald Trump oppose his stances on social issues, but do you know what his stances on economic issues are? Did you know he wants to implement a term limit for Congress? There is good sprinkled in with the bad, but you’re never going to know it if you get all your news from social media. Get out and talk to Trump supporters, read his website, and get informed on any issues you may not know about. Go ahead and get on Facebook and speak your mind, that’s your right! But please make it an educated argument and be willing to admit you might not know everything.
2. Get Active in Politics- After an election, everyone is a political expert. We voice our opinions on Facebook and we rant at our friends and we research the issues. Unfortunately, the buck often stops there. When is the last time you called your local congressional representative and told them your opinions? Do you know how to reach your senators? Have you ever went out and canvassed for a local politician to get on the ballot? Do you even know who your local politicians are? Now is a great time to get started. Ranting on Facebook is great, but has little to no impact. Get out there and reach out to any politician who will listen, start a conversation, and join a political group in your community. While our election system may not be the best, it is still OUR system and the power is truly in our hands.
3. Volunteer- What is it that matters most to you? What about Trump concerns you? Chances are, it concerns others too. That’s where volunteering comes in. There are so many organizations available that are fighting alongside us and need our help. Human Rights Campaign is a big one, but there are also many local and diverse organizations that want to help protect our rights. Go check out your local women’s shelter, food pantry, LGBT+ community and see what you can do to help.
4. Stand Up For Others- One of the most concerning things about a Trump presidency isn’t himself, but rather his followers. Already in the first few days after the election we have seen an uprising in hateful acts towards minorities. Social Media is flooding with personal experiences of racism, sexism, bigotry, and homophobia. An important thing you can do to stop these actions is to stand up to them. Don’t pull out your phone and record it to post on Facebook, pull it out to show to Police. Don’t be a part of the bystander effect- if you see something that bothers you, say something. This is another instance of how social media can vet us. What’s more important than getting online and expressing your rage is channeling it to the appropriate people; the ones who are doing this must be confronted. Walk your friends home at night, start up a conversation with the woman in a hijab on the bus, call the police if you see ANYTHING that seems like it could escalate. Understand that many people are fearing for their lives right now, not because they think Trump is coming to murder them, but because mob rule is a very frightening thing when it affects people with hate in their hearts. People have been getting threatened and hurt and we need to do what we can to prevent it. A small action can make a huge difference.
5. Stay Respectful- This one really is important. I know we’re all riled up right now. We’re angry, upset, disappointed, and afraid. But we absolutely cannot let it affect us in our response. If a Trump supporter came up to you and was trying to explain their views to you, would you listen to one that’s spewing anger and disgust at your choices or one that would calmly explain their feelings to you? We must not turn into what we have gone against for so long. You have the right to be an angry person; you can express your anger and validate it, but do so in a respectful manner. Put yourself in other people’s positions. We will get nowhere if we cannot rationally explain our upset to those causing it. Remember how people reacted when we elected our first black president? Remember the outrage, the name-calling? Please do not stoop to that level, it just tarnishes any valuable arguments we have. Keep your cool as much as possible. Rant as needed, but make them educated rants.
6. Hope for the Future- If you really cannot bring yourself to deal with this turn of events, do not give up hope. It was not so long ago that things in America were vastly different. We will adapt and change like we always do. And if it gives you any sort or respite, the millennial vote was very different than the result we got. The future is in our hands, but it is up to us to change it. We must not give up, overreact, or ignore. We need to remember that the future is ours and we hold the power in our hands to shape it.
7. Don’t Move to Canada- While the temptation may be real to pack up your bags and move, you might be doing a lot more harm than good. I’m not going to beat around the bush here, what most people who don’t support Trump want is a liberal America. How can that happen if the liberal voters move out of our country? How can we win any future elections if blue voters flee? Not only are you skewing the future elections, you’re taking away from Canada’s own plans. Canadian resident Jesse Gray put it this way- “Please do not move to Canada! The space is reserved for refugees and our ongoing immigration reform. (…) You can join Green Peace, help build homes for the war torn countries that don’t have a choice in their government. Doctors Without Borders is another fine organization that can always use volunteers and support. Contact your local church and get involved as a missionary. Build schools or libraries for people who are being truly repressed. Don’t give up! And if you do, do something besides taking space away from the refugees that still have a place to go”.
8. Give It a Chance- Let’s bring Obama back into this for a minute. When he was elected, people outraged before he was sworn in. Everyone thought that the world would end because how could a black man be president? How could he pick up where the republicans left off and not destroy everything? No one wanted to give him a chance and that’s a large part of why his first term was spent just trying to get any little thing done that he could. It was only when his second term came around that he was able to get his bigger plans implemented because no one would give him the time of day before that. While we may be quick to jump the gun on Trump, we must refrain. Media has skewed our perception of any person in the public viewing. It is only fair to give the man a chance to do what he will, and it is only then that we can judge him as our president.
9. Vote!- Our voting system is really weird, I will admit that. The Electoral College has made a lot of people think their vote doesn’t count, so they simply stay home and rely on others to elect the better person. THAT is truly what went wrong with this election. No one expected Trump to win. The media, the republicans, even Trump himself most likely did not expect him to pull through. But he did, and he did so because we all got a little too comfortable. We thought Hillary was sure to win, and as the numbers got closer together we were still sure it wouldn’t be Trump, so we stayed home. A whopping 49.6 percent of registered voters stayed home, to be exact. And while it is sometimes true that your vote doesn’t count, it’s only because we let it become that way. With the mob mentality that votes don’t count, there were millions of votes that never existed and those were votes that could have changed the outcome. At one point, the difference in New Hampshire was only due to 15 voters. 15! There are millions who think their vote doesn’t matter, but if those peole voted, we could have seen a very different election.
10. Stand Up For Yourself- The most important thing you can do is to keep on fighting for your opinions. Love Trump? Own it. Correct any wrong information that’s circulating, have peaceful discussions with your friends about why you support him, and stand strong in your opinions. Hate Trump? Graciously explain why you feel that way, be prepared to defend your rights, and fight for a cause that you do believe in. When it comes down to it, we all have different opinions. We all want to be right. While it may not be possible for everyone to be right, it is possible to fight a respectful fight in order to prove yourself. No matter whom you voted for or what your opinions are, we all want the same thing. We want this country to be great. Don’t let anyone make you afraid to express your opinions. Don’t back down when times get hard. Your voice deserves to be heard and you deserve to have a good life. Fight for yourself above all else.
