As the election of Donald Trump began to set in, I re-instated my Facebook page. I had a post-election bitch fit and I took a weekend off from most social media. I am not mature enough to read what people write about, when it is in direct disagreement with me and my views. I discovered this and I'm not proud of it. In fact, it embarrasses me.
I see people post things about reading the opinions of others and respecting them and even people knowing their friends had voted for Trump and they were fine with it. I see cute little memes about it. I read sarcastic little jokes about how immature people are who have to delete friends from Facebook based on political beliefs. I am one of those people. I am one of those immature people who can't stand to read snarky and rude, sometimes factually inaccurate political posts.
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I think I figured out my problem though. All of my life people have yelled in my face about me being a Democrat, "I don't vote for the party, I vote for the man." Yes, "man," the phrase then was always "man." It never occurred to me then that we'd have the option to vote for a woman. Anyway, if we as Americans aren't voting for the party, we're voting for the man, or in this case, man or woman; we chose Donald Trump, the Republican, the man. We. Are. Screwed.
We are screwed because now bullying is acceptable. Our President-Elect models it. It's fine to make fun of differently abled people and sexually harass women. And I know this to be true, because a student at my school yelled out in class last week, "I love pussy." Thanks Donald Trump. Teaching high school isn't challenging enough, now we have added bullying and comments like this to deal with. I am amazed that someone with a pending rape trial is able to run for President and win.
Despite the fact we are a country built by immigrants, we are now on a path to marginalize, track, and deport millions of them. I have students who are frightened to death they are being sent to country they are completely unfamiliar with. They worry their families will be split up and they'll never see their parents again. This is my country? The "melting pot," we learned about in high school?
This new Trump Nation is a scary place. I'm white. I shouldn't bitch. I am saddened by our country and the ideals we have chosen to ignore. Women are not valued, neither are minorities. I'll never forget the day I saw the footage of Trump mocking the reporter who was physically disabled. My blood boiled and I prayed my students wouldn't see it. I thought he was a horrific example of what a leader should be let along a human being. The concept that America is a place for everyone is now a joke. It is however a place where anyone can become President. And did.
