Early Wednesday morning, the election results naming Donald Trump the winner threw this country into turmoil. As early as that same evening, protests broke out against the win. Almost as quickly, Trump supporters responded with their own. We began to see what Trump’s victory really meant for this country. While some reactions were dreaded, but expected, others were not.
Posts on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media began to pop up talking about situations where Trump supporters made racist or sexist comments and/or acted on them. Most of these actions turned to violence very quickly and spread fear through minorities and women. Unfortunately, this is something many people expected from Trump supporters if Trump won the election. Just to clarify, these actions only represent a select group of them and certainly do not speak for all. That being said, it is not only upsetting to hear that such things can still happen in 2016, but it is also downright unacceptable for them to happen. When your side wins there is no need to abuse the losing one.
Before the election, it was the liberal HRC supporters who said this would happen. Since the election, it has been them posting on social media talking about standing in solidarity with anyone who is afraid and standing against this hate and violence. However, a selection of HRC supporters do not understand what it means to be against violence. Videos of protesters assaulting Trump supporters have surfaced putting a new and disturbing face on the liberals. A face of hypocrisy. Again, this is not all of the HRC supporters and does not speak for all of them. However, it hurts the message others are trying to send. To speak out against bullying and assault and then to turn around and inflict that on another is doing nothing more than making yourselves look like idiots.
“Love trumps hate” has become a slogan for the anti-trump protests. Its message is to stand united and above the hate and violence incited by the part of the Trump supporters that are racist and sexist. They had shamed and attacked people for supporting their candidate. Oddly enough, it is the same people that have been shaming Trump supporters for their support of their candidate. To protect minorities and women from the hate that they have already endured, we must rise above it, not sink to its level.
