I think in many forms of writing, especially journalism, the writer writes his piece for the reader. But, right now, I cannot say that is true. Right now it is for me. It is for me to deal with the hundreds of thoughts that are circling in my brain. I am hoping to find some comfort by vomiting words onto this page.
Like many people surrounding me I am a mess. I am a mess because the new president-elect is Donald Trump. And, yes, that sentence you just read is correct. Trump will now be the 45th President of the United States. Besides just being a multimillionaire television star who, in my opinion has no business in politics, Trump is a bigot. We received proof on day one, when Trump proposed building a wall on the Mexican border and called the Mexican people “...rapists and murderers”. It was clear his platform was going to be built on hate. He soon began to target other groups that have been marginalized in the past. He threatened to deport all illegal immigrants and stop immigration from muslim countries, mocked a disabled reporter, spoke terribly about women, promoted sexual assault on women by saying he likes to “...grab them by the p--sy,” and picked Mike Pence as his Vice President, a man who openly believes in gay conversion therapy. Frankly, this seems like some sick joke. It feels like we are living in the middle of a political satire. How can a man who so clearly goes against the American values of freedom, liberty and justice for all be elected as president? But, it's become clear. Those are no longer the American values. Right now it is clear that a large number of Americans believe that immigrants and all non-white people are ruining this country. They have tremendous pride for this country and it’s flag, but at this moment the flag is covering their eyes. There is a famous quote from the 20th century that is believed to be said by Sinclair Lewis. The quote reads, “When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.”
As much as I truly hate to admit it, Trump is the president-elect. So that is why we have to begin asking ourselves “now what?” What do we do now? Right now there are only a few options. The first is hoping that it will not be as bad as a lot of people are fearing. While I still disagree with Trump’s politics I do not want to see him fail miserably as a president. The reason why is, even though it may be embarrassing for Trump, we are ultimately going to be the ones to pay the price. I hope with every bone in my body congress doesn't let Trump pass any of his ideas into laws. Yes, republicans have the majority in the house and senate, but there are many congressmen, congresswomen and senators who disagree with Trump as much as I do. The next is creating an open dialogue between Trump’s moderate supporters and moderate republicans. Yes, while I disagree with them, and in a lot of cases trying to talk calmly to his extreme supporters will not work and in fact could be dangerous, telling the moderate supporters off is not going to help. In fact it will make matters worse. It will create an even bigger divide between both parties and create more radicalization, which is what made Trump president. Even though I too have been a victim of it we need to sit down with his more moderate supporters in a respectful manner and tell them why there is a serious problem with Trump and his policies. That will be the only way to change their mind and make them more aware of the problems.
We have a rough couple of four years ahead of us. But, we all have to stick together and fight through this, because united we are even stronger. If you see someone being verbally attacked and victimized please do something to help. There are many articles on the internet that discuss how to help someone who is being victimized in a way that will keep you and the victim out of physical harm. Peaceful protest will also help, but only if it is peaceful. And, last but not least, if it offers any comfort remember that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. While sadly it will not do much at this point and it is still disheartening to see there are still a lot of people that support Trump’s offensive policies, remember it is not the majority. Plus if you add the Gary Johnson and Jill Stein supporters it shows the number of people who opposed Trump increases. Good luck to us all.
