The election day, November 3, is tomorrow and the tension and anxiety that fills my household, my community, and my country is thick, unbreakable. There are jokes that are not really jokes about a civil war erupting, in spite of who wins. Many people believe that the result hardly matters: that one way or another, our democracy is doomed.
These concerns are valid, but I think that the dangers we may face under Biden are starkly different than the dangers we certainly will face under Donald Trump.
Under Biden, it is true that there could--and that there almost certainly will--be protests from the far-right. These will likely be met with counter-protests and could get violent quickly. That is a scary possibility and one we have to keep our open for.
However, this is a short term danger. The dangers under Donald Trump is far worse.
First, we have the Covid-19 pandemic, which is spiraling out of control. Joe Biden will make a pandemic plan, will get our pandemic research team back, and he will listen to science. We have seen Trump enough to know that he cares little to nothing about human life and is willing to let the virus run its natural course, a decision that will kill millions.
Speaking of science, Donald Trump seems not to believe climate change is not real, let alone a threat. Joe Biden has laid out a climate change plan and, though there is a chance it may not get passed (we will need to create a Democratic senate, as well), at least we know Biden will not do much to make our climate situation worse.
If you care about equality (which you should), Trump is attacking it on all fronts. He's appointed Amy Coney Barrett, who wants to dismantle abortion rights, and other reproductive rights, setting women back decades. Trump wants to stop gay couples from adopting and wants to deny transgender proper healthcare. Trump wants to separate immigrant families, at any cost. Trump does not care about black lives, and he will not condemn white supremacy. Even if Biden isn't perfect, anything is better than the blatant disregard for human life, purely for power and greed, we see above.
This article seems like a repeat of an earlier one, but its with good reason: this election is one of the most impactful things that has ever happened to most of America's younger generations. It will impact this generation, and the next, and the next.
My final thoughts: If you have voted, between Trump and Biden, I hope the man you picked suits your values. If you haven't voted, but you still can, do it as if your life depends on it, because it does. If you have voted third party, or for a write-in, or you still intend not to vote at all, I hope to God you won't have to regret your choice.