Dear America,

I was just as shocked as you to hear that Donald Trump is the new President-Elect and I watched alongside you as the United States map turned to a wave of red on Election Night. Unlike many people, I did not take to Facebook to voice my thoughts. I guess you could say this is a substitute to that.

Over the past days, we have seen the photos of Clinton supporters crying plastered on every media outlet. Protests are occurring across the country in response to the election results. Social media has erupted with sentiments about each candidate that depict the deep-seated division that persists in our nation. People suddenly think that they are now moving to Canada. It’s okay to be upset with the results. If you voted for Clinton, why would you be outwardly thrilled? This is not where we are getting lost in translation. Calling Trump supporters “hate-filled bigots” who “thrive on the belittlement of others” and believe in an “oppressive society that disrespects minorities, women, and the LGBTQ+ community” is the line that is being crossed. Generalizing over 50 million people to embody these derogatory terms is just as belittling as insulting, for instance, an ethnic group. The core effect is the same: You are insulting and slandering a group of people based on no substantive factuality. This is narrow-minded and a direct display of hypocrisy, which just so happens to be cultivating hatred in our nation. This is not the America I know.

There are many reasons a voter would elect to choose Trump over Clinton; reasons that do not arise out of any form of discrimination or animosity towards a certain group. This president gets to choose the next Supreme Court Justice, which will serve far longer than the 4 or 8 years of the President and has the potential to tip crucial decisions. As a Republican, you may choose to see the longevity in this and decide that if one positive is to come, there will be another sitting Republican Justice. Trump is also not a lifelong politician. There are 2 ways to view this: He will have no idea what he is doing or he will bring positive and well-needed change to Washington. If you are the optimist, Trump probably had your vote. Many voters also chose to put his policy changes before his spoken words; words that could have been far more thoughtful and less derogatory. If you are anti-Obamacare and want to see the death of the Affordable Care Act because you do not like the repercussions it has imposed on some businesses or do not like how it has changed healthcare in America, you know which candidate that is more likely to accomplish this. We all do want the best version of America; We have different roadmaps of getting there.

The unfortunate reality of this election was many people were choosing between the lesser of two evils. For some, this meant crossing party lines. For others, this meant waffling back-and-forth at the whim of the media and the tumult of the election. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton both had incredible amounts of negative stigma attached to their names and differing allegations cast dark lights upon them and their image. Yes, Donald Trump needs to learn to be eloquent, but in his victory speech he vowed to unite the American people; I truly hope he can keep his word and mend the wounds he has created. Then, there is Hillary. What I think lost the election was not her gender and I think that is a prime form of scapegoating. I would love to see a woman become President, just as the rest of our country would. America made it clear last night that she does not have their trust. The FBI “read” 650,000 in around 600,000 seconds. Impressive. Benghazi was an exemplification of failed leadership. The Clinton Foundation is a threshold for foreign influence and money making its way into American politics in a discreet manner. For many voters, it was about picking your poison. America did. They would rather have someone who can’t keep his mouth shut than someone who doesn’t have their trust.

If you chose not to vote in this election and had the ability to, that is your first and biggest mistake. Your voice was not heard. You have no right to complain. If you did vote, it’s okay that you are upset with the outcome if it is not what you desired, as long as you do so with class and do not fight back with hatred. From my experiences, I have seen a lack of patriotism and a lack of faith in democracy. America hasn’t changed overnight. Donald Trump is not America, we are. There are more of us than there are of him. We determine how we treat others, how we show compassion, and how we strive to be better off than we were before. This goes hand-in-hand with an enduring sense of confidence in our system. This is not tyranny. Checks-and-balances will still exist, the judicial branch can still declare any introduced legislature to be unconstitutional, impeachment action is taken if he were to commit such a wrong, and the constitution is not going anywhere. I have faith in democracy.

Fear. I have heard this world countless times since Election Night. This is a mistake. America is a melting-pot and I think that’s what makes it great. But I do agree that immigration is an issue and we need to curb the presence of undocumented immigrants. In fact, this promise to America was one that allowed him to gain traction in the first place. His own wife is an immigrant; you cannot argue he doesn’t support a legal path to citizenship. Sure, he has a lot of mending to do with women. But for Hillary to be representative of women is also a falsehood. If I was her, I would have had enough respect for myself to know to walk away from her husband when he had wronged her. I would have listened to the allegations brought on by women and treated them with respect and dignity. More often than not, the media told us what to think this election. They told us that we hate Trump. They told us that Hillary also has her fair share of baggage, but Hillary’s years of corruption was initially overlooked by a few misguided and offensive remarks by Trump. I do not stand by those words. But, I also do not stand by a corrupt and power-hungry political family.

I have a theory on Trump supporters remaining close-lipped, which is why we were so shocked at the results. This is also repressive. His supporters were reluctant, to be frank with their support, so they remained closeted. If you were to say “I support Trump”, reverse discrimination would probably occur at some point. “You are a white supremacist who hates minorities”. How is that not offensive? Supporting your party or a proposed policy is not equivocal to supporting his statements that offended particular groups and Americans. I also think that is unfortunate. No one should feel like they will be ridiculed for a view, as long as it is just and respectful towards others. If your view is qualified, I will hear you out, regardless if you are a Republican or Democrat. The only time I would ever have a problem with a Trump supporter is if they backed his words of ridicule, rather than the substance in what he hoped to do for the American people policy-wise.

Do not let one person, Donald Trump, inspire a hatred for America and give birth to a divisive nation. It is far too soon to tell what his presidency holds, and this is where we start over and give him a chance to show us how he will make America “great”. I do not support offensive remarks and pitting groups against one other. I offer an open-mind, until he shows me otherwise when in office. I am not saying you need to offer your support, but he now represents you and I, so maybe he will begin to act like a man of the people. I hope he does. Even if you do not respect him, respect the office.

Courtney