This last Tuesday, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. A man who ran on a campaign of bigotry, violence, and hatefulness will soon be the most powerful person in the world. Come January, he will be President Trump.
I’m going to be honest, I cried when I realized Trump had won. Not that I’m particularly fond of Secretary Clinton, but this? This is what we resort to?
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I thought of my friends. Of my Black, Latino, Muslim, disabled, and LGBTQ friends. I thought of the pain they must be feeling. I thought of all the women who have been sexually assaulted, raped, and dehumanized by men who excused those comments as just words rather than what they really were. I thought of my own pain.
I’ve heard those who excused Trump’s actions as beside the point. As if his character does not pertain to the office of President of the United States. I’ve heard friends who justify his behavior as part of “politics,” and this thought makes me question everything the U.S. stands for. The thing is—on a very serious note—there are people in the United States who are terrified at this moment. Who are scared for their lives, for the safety of their children, and for their own humanity.
People have started rioting in the streets in protest. Social media is riddled with posts. People are talking about this election, and talking a lot.
I’ve tried to ignore it all. I’ve tried to avoid it. I was already distraught by Trump’s election, and I knew the news and social media would only hurt me more. I didn’t want to be influenced by the negativity; I didn’t want to be exposed to all of it. Most importantly, I didn’t want to get involved.
But one thing has popped up that has really bothered me, which I refuse to stay quiet about: the idea that this was “just another election” and people should calm down.
Here’s the thing, in abundantly blatant terms: this election was different.
Never before in recent years have we had a potential candidate campaign on principles fueled by racist and sexist values. Never before have we had a candidate be so riddled with not just scandals, but a truly horrific and despicable series of life decisions. Never before have we had a candidate with twelve different sexual assault charges brought against him, endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan, a class action fraud case against his business (to be held later this month), and a child rape allegation. I repeat, a child rape allegation.
People in marginalized groups whom Trump has distinctly hurt are scared. And yet still I hear others responding with, “What do you think he’s going to do? We still have checks and balances. Trump can’t do anything to you. Stop being so scared.”
Here’s the thing: Trump himself probably won’t do anything to these people, because he doesn’t have to. The individual racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic, and Islamophobic people who support him will.
This isn’t to say that all individuals who support Trump are such things; a vast majority are good people who saw no other option.
But there are individuals who have used Trump’s election as an opportunity to take advantage of in their attack on those around them. And Trump’s words are only fuel to the fire. A gas leak of racism, sexism, xenophobia and the like has been building up in the United States for years, and Donald Trump is the match that’s set it off.
Not even 48 hours after his election, there have been increased reports of vicious attacks on non-Whites, Muslims, and LGBTQ persons. And Trump’s behavior throughout his campaign is what has excused these actions among everyday communities.
So when people say, “It’s just an election. We wouldn’t have gotten this upset if Hillary had won. People just need to calm down.” My response is no. This was not just another election. This was different. So different, that it’s something we as a nation are not prepared for. Something we haven’t experienced in years. The dark, ugly side of our people is rearing its head and coming to the forefront, because Trump’s presidency has exposed it to the light.
So how do we respond?
We respond by taking a stand. We respond by linking together like those before us and saying this is not okay. We will not accept this behavior because we are human beings, and we deserve the dignity of such a title. We respond by refusing to accept small mindedness. We respond by overcoming hate with love. We respond together.
This election was different, but so are we.
