The idea that college conservatives are somehow the real oppressed group in the United States has been around for forever. But recently, college conservatives have collectively thrown a huge fit because they are being called racists for supporting a white supremacist (the horror!).
So I have a message for y'all: I could not care less about your tears. You are not oppressed and you are not put in danger by the current political climate. You are rightfully being called out for your opinions. But it's not at all analogous to the physical oppression marginalized people face right now because of your actions.
Because of what you've done, actual people are in danger. White supremacists and neo-Nazis are now crafting federal policy. ICE raids are breaking up families. Children are skipping school because they are terrified of deportation. Hate crimes against Muslims are on the rise. LGBTQ+ community centers are being threatened with violence. None of this is at all comparable with your fear of being called a racist.
And none of what's happening now should come as a surprise to you. You watched your candidate call Mexicans rapists and murderers, consistently call for a ban on Muslims because of their religion, claim that a federal judge was biased against him because of his Mexican heritage and brag about using his power to sexually assault women. None of this stopped you from supporting him. Even if you were cautious about him, you still determined that racism and misogyny were permissible enough.
Statistically, you are probably white, male, straight and cisgender (I know how much you hate that term so I made sure to use it). But maybe I'm wrong about that. Maybe you're one of the 52 percent of white women who voted for Trump because you care more about your white privilege than your gender. Or maybe you're one of those "Gays For Trump" white men who has internalized homophobia. In any case, though, you have privilege, quite a lot of it. And during this election, you refused to look past it.
But let's talk about your fear for a moment. You're afraid that because of who you are, people will judge you for it. Well, welcome to what marginalized people in this country have felt since the beginning.
In fact, I would say that it's good that you're afraid. I'm personally very happy that you feel ostracized, judged and unsafe. Because now, maybe you understand what you put people like us through every single day.
