Ever since election night, the protests have been fierce against Donald Trump. And honestly, I understand it. I'm pissed, too. I woke up the day after election day with my stomach in my throat. I am so saddened by the statement our country has made by electing Donald Trump the next President of the United States.
But we need to all take a deep breath. Somehow the world is still moving - we still have to get up and shower and go to our jobs and live life. Protests - peaceful protests - are fine with me. I think we should be standing against the things we disagree with.
Things are getting out of hand, though. Protests are turning violent, and to what end? You can't change the result of this election. Donald Trump won. He ran a hateful campaign full of fear and anger, and he went through our democratic system and won. Period.
I don't want him to be my President. I'll be protesting any and all ridiculous legislation he attempts to put into law. I'll be standing by all those currently terrified of losing their rights. I'm not going to sit idly by and allow Donald Trump to ruin our country. But at the same time, I'm so upset with this whole "Not My President" campaign. He is going to be our president. Stop acting like children, please. Especially because you, a Hillary supporter, know damn well that if she had won and Trump supporters acted this way, you would be furious. So just stop it.
We're protesting the man himself, and we need to be protesting what he stands for. Surprisingly, I don't think Donald Trump is the root of all evil. He's just a man. And you can stand in the streets and scream, you can rally around Trump buildings, and you can even act out in violence, but you won't change anything. You can post statuses saying #NotMyPresident, but I'm sorry to tell you that that doesn't change the facts.
So instead of acting like children, instead of violently trying to enact change, just take some time to mourn. Mourn our country's decision to put a man into office who doesn't deserve the title of Commander in Chief. Pause and let yourself grieve for what has just happened in our country. I think we all need that. Just a moment where you sit down and let it sink in, and you just let yourself be sad.
Then, when you're done grieving, stand. Fight back. But do it peacefully. Remind Donald Trump why we aren't like him; we don't want violence to be the answer. When he becomes our President and tries to tear down all the progress we've made, show him what our country stands for.
Stand tall. Stand together. Don't let our country fall to pieces over this.
We'll get through this. Even with President Donald J. Trump.
