We may all have different opinions, but we can all agree that this has been one memorable week. From party identification to identity politics to the power of rhetoric, so many factors affected our reactions after Election Day. I've had so many thoughts this past week, and all I'm left with is confusion.
Monday, Nov. 7
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I am about to cast my first presidential ballot ever! I am bubbling with excitement and I'm volunteering on campus to make sure everyone else gets to cast their ballots as well. I get to vote for a woman.
Tuesday, Nov. 8
I get to the polls at 7:03 AM, proudly circle in the bubbles, and submit my ballot. The "I Voted" sticker makes me feel intense pride in my country. I wait around all day long, trying to do anything to make the time go faster. I head to a watch party with my friends and more importantly, my local candidate, whom I've been helping throughout his campaign. I can't force my eyes open any longer, and I fall asleep close to 2:30 AM.
Wednesday, Nov. 9
I wake up and feel defeat. I get up, make some coffee, and turn on the television. I feel like I have woken up to a national tragedy. I was so sure a champion of human rights would be our newly election president, but I was wrong, along with the rest of the country. I have to sit around my house for the rest of he day and figure out what to think.
Thursday, Nov. 10
I read through Facebook posts, read opinion articles, and go to class, where discussion is lively, but uncomfortable. Everyone is expressing such different opinions, and everyone thinks they are right.
People are angry, people are upset, and people think we are doomed. On the other side, we've got people who are excited, happy, and expect a Washington outsider to represent their views in our government.
Note: Everyone's feelings are valid. I think it is appropriate to feel scared with the results of the election, but I also think it is appropriate to get behind the winner. Personally, I'm scared for minorities and I'm disappointed that women have been pushed back to the end of the line, waiting our turn again to finally talk to the boss, but my optimism in Democracy is forcing me to give the guy a chance.
Losing sucks, but Donald Trump won the final race that mattered the most.
Instantly, I start hearing stories from my friends about their little siblings being bullied by people yelling "Make America Great Again" as their justification. I start hearing stories about black Americans being hit and attacked, and then I hear stories of Trump supporters being attacked as well.
What are we supposed to think of all of this?!
Friday, Nov. 11
Protests, reports of racism, and bullying continue to be reported. I get to thinking. Racists and sexists were racists and sexists before we elected Donald Trump, he's just giving them a voice. We can't be mad at every single Republican who voted for Donald Trump, because not everyone voted for Donald as a person, but voted for a Republican executive branch based on policy. We have so many different people living in our country and according to our American values, we all have a powerful and equal voice.
Do we continue to respect the right of free speech or do we claim that someone is indeed wrong?
Philosophers have been pondering the question for centuries. It's called morality. Is someone right while someone is wrong, or is everyone right based on their own morals and values?
Political polarization thrives on the universal approach to morality, that is, there is an objective right and wrong. Well, half of the electorate thinks they are right, while the other half thinks they are right, and the other half of the country doesn't care enough to express their thoughts in the form of a vote.
Saturday, Nov. 12
We cannot change people at their core, and we cannot change individual definitions of morality, but we can stand up and fight for the change we want to see. Wipe your tears, crying won't help anyone. Take it upon yourself to create change in the world, and stand up for what you believe in.
Sunday, Nov. 13
It's time to accept the results. Donald Trump will be our next president. Even he understands the intensity of these results. Even days after Election Day, Trump has released modified statements about his policies that are more liberal than he ran on. Even Donald Trump understands that compromise is necessary to generate progress in our nation. Hopefully, everyone else will understand that compromise is necessary too. You never have to agree with what the other side is saying, but understanding other people will create a wider path to compromise.
We are too diverse a nation to ever all agree, and while I think working together is the only way to move on, I will not stand by the moment our human rights are violated. My advice to you is to write to your local government for change. It is their job to represent you, and when you don't like what's happening in our nation; go vote.
