I’m Mexican. I’m also a U.S. citizen. I’m female. I believe in equal rights for men and women. I’m pro-life. But I’m not scared of Trump. Neither am I for him.
If I were to choose something to be afraid of, it would sadly be the people of the U.S. Trump isn’t going to come break windows and throw rocks in my neighborhood. He isn’t going to come start a riot on my street. He isn’t going to graffiti racial slurs on my porch and car.
Some might argue he actually would- indirectly. Those who have taken part in violent “protest” or riots and those who have attacked racial minorities in recent months have been spurred on by Trump’s victory in November.
But I would argue that it’s such people that spurred Trump on. It’s all a cycle. But perhaps that’s an old argument that’s now irrelevant because the fact is, Trump is officially president now and there’s very little we can do to change that.
Even so, it’s still the people that are inciting violence- Pro-Trump and Anti-Trump groups alike.
This nation has the glorious gift of freedom of expression. I’m proud of those who have stood for what they believe in dignified, honorable fashions, whether in peaceable protest marches or through the media, whether for or against Trump. Such people realize the beauty of the privilege they have here, and they take full advantage of it.
But so many others have desecrated the Bill of Rights by reacting with animosity and ravaging that gift, starting up trouble. Those people only provide fuel to the ridicule we’re receiving from other countries. They bend to fear- fear of the president, fear of anti-Trump sentiments, whatever- and react according to their emotional instincts rather than according to logic.
I’ve been saying this since November: Throwing a tantrum isn’t going to change the politics of our nation. It’s only going to bring down the rod and bring further division.
At this point, if you’re pro-Trump or anti-Trump or indifferent, the only thing that is going to make a difference is standing for what you believe in an honorable fashion. Choose your battles.
As I said before, I’m dark-skinned and female. And you know what? I’m not gonna attack Trump Towers to protest. My protest against his racial and sexist slurs is that I’m going to prove him wrong about us. I’m going to work hard and live lovingly. I won’t make a criminal or a clown of myself, and I will speak out for what I believe: That all people are created equal. That Mexicans aren’t all rapists and murderers. That a woman’s worth is equal to a man’s in God’s eyes.
My step-grandfather’s words sum these ideas up into one statement:
“Our lives do not really depend on what the government does for us or against us. Now…. we should focus on what we ourselves are doing for one another. The future lies not so much in what Trump can do as much as it depends on what we do for ourselves, how we help each other and care for one another.”
If you’re given a pie, most likely you’ll enjoy it by eating it, maybe sharing some of it. Few would use it to smash their neighbor’s face in. Notice I said “few” not “no one.” Sad, but true.
You have the gift of free speech. So use it, but honorably. Treasure it. Don’t start more pointless fires.
