I don’t care about your personal political label. I don’t care if you are #WithHer, if you #FeelTheBern, if you want to #MAGA, or none of the above. First, before anything, you are American. There is a huge fraction of this nation that is anti-Trump right down to their core. Celebrity figures are forming protests and social media feeds are perfused with an outpour of disgust. I find it so ironic that the same people who are against Trump, claiming he is an embodiment of hatred, are spewing hatred incessantly since Trump’s victory.
If we want to live in a society filled with love and acceptance, then let’s start by accepting the news and loving this country because you are a citizen of an exceptional nation, unparalleled by any other. You can wish upon a star, an eyelash, say a prayer at 11:11, or pinch yourself awake from the nightmare you feel you are living through, but nothing will change and you are wasting your energy. The most unproductive thing you can do is constructing a dramatic narrative for your Facebook friends to read, proclaiming your hatred for Trump, this election, and those who voted for him. Basically, what you are saying is that you are a loving accepting person only if others agree with you. I find it hypocritical that the same people who are protesting Trump, with slogans like "Love Trumps Hate," are also setting fire to the American Flag and becoming violent with those who do not share the same political beliefs. We are fundamentally forgetting what it is to be American. Although it is within our rights to peacefully protest, it is not within our rights to make another citizen feel in danger because of the candidate he or she voted for.
But this isn’t an article attacking the anti-Trump sector; rather, it is a reminder that we are a united nation. We need to dissolve the impenetrable dividers we have established and start to practice what we preach. If we are fearful that our children will grow up racist, sexist, xenophobic, and every other big, scary word, then let’s start by continuing to teach them the Golden Rule: treat everyone the way you want to be treated.
It is natural to live with a certain level of anxiety—in fact, it serves a beneficial purpose in our ability to feel motivated—but living in a state of absolute distress, disarray, and disgust is only going to inhibit our ability to keep moving forward and fight for social justice. So, the next time you feel the urge to publish yet another post with the hashtag “#NotMyPresident,” or dramatically proclaim your fear for the children, the minority communities, the culture of this nation, and your plan to flee the country, know that you will wake up tomorrow with Trump still holding office come January 20th, and you are wasting your energy. Instead, refocus your efforts on spreading the message of love and acceptance that you preach and exemplify to the children what it is like to love in the face of adversity.
Forget the divide; label me American.
