Friday, January 20th, 2017, 11:58 AM. I sat in a classroom with 105 other undergraduate students, ironically waiting for our political science class to begin. A good number of those students were anxiously on their phones or computers watching a live stream the event. I was one of those students — updating the professor who was preparing to begin class (five minutes behind schedule) when the VP was sworn in, and then when Trump and his family stood up to be sworn in. I’d guess that about a third of the class was watching and that the other two-thirds were split between simply not caring and not wanting to give Trump the view.

I’ve seen so many people begging for others to watch “anything but the inauguration,” arguing that if you watch, you’re just giving him what he wants and questioning anybody who did just that. So why did I watch? In short, it boils down to the idea of “respect the office, not the man.” Remember everybody who protested Obama’s presidency? People who refused to watch him take on the role of president? A lot of those people are the ones who are now telling people to “get over it” and accept that Trump has been elected President. No, I will not accept it, and certainly not quietly. That said, I also will not do what they did. I will be as actively engaged in this term as anybody else and I will use that to my benefit.

I respect the Office of the President and the White House as a whole. I don’t agree with the people who are running them, but I respect the fact that enough people in my country do (regardless of any loopholes or trickery). If I, an American-born, voting adult, can’t respect the Office, why should anybody else? Why should our allies see us as their equal if our own people don’t? Why should the people with whom we disagree (I don’t like the word “enemy.” It feels too definite and permanent) see our government as having any power, if we refuse to give it to them?

I respect Obama and many of our past presidents as people, but I certainly don’t expect everybody else to do the same. I was born under the Clinton administration, though obviously have no memory of it. I remember Bush, though I didn’t really understand at the time why we didn’t like him. I love and respect Obama and almost everything he’s done for our country. His term was the first presidential term for which I was old enough to even grasp the significance of what was happening. The 2016 election was the first for which I was old enough to participate, and it was heartbreaking. I will never respect Donald Trump as a person. Not because he’s a Republican — there are plenty of Republicans who I respect very much. I want to make that clear, that I don’t think political parties are a valid excuse to disrespect anybody. I don’t respect him because he’s racist, xenophobic, sexist, ableist, Islamaphobic, chose a horrifically homophobic Vice President, and is just generally a disgusting person. But that is separate from respecting him as our President, and I hope that those who disagree with Obama were also made that distinction.

Trump will be the President regardless of ratings. This isn’t The Apprentice or some other game show where he relies on having viewers. This is a major event in American politics, just as every other inauguration before it. I understand that he wants attention and that by giving it to him you feel that you’re giving in. I get that when people feel powerless they will do anything to gain some control. I understand that, and I respect it. That said, I think you gain control by being as engaged and knowledgeable as possible. I voted in the 2016 election, and I will continue to vote, and I owe it to my country to be fully engaged in every step of the process. Embrace what’s happening in our country. Feel the pain, feel the fear. Feel everything, and use it. I promise, there will be plenty of things that truly and honestly do not matter. Trump is going to pardon a turkey in about 10 months — I definitely will not be watching that. Anything Christmas-related will go unnoticed by me, and anything else that is solely based on fanfare is 100 percent unimportant to me. I definitely discourage clicking any links about how the White House Christmas tree is decorated or what china was chosen for various events. But the State of the Union Address that will happen a year from now? Watch it. Embrace it. Learn about what he says he’s going to do and what he has done. Forget about ratings or any of his ulterior motives and take control over your country. Don’t fixate on the fact that he wants viewers or on the fact that I’m sure plenty of people avoided watching Obama. Remember Michelle — "When they go low, we go high." Internalize that. Use it every day. Never forget that Michelle Obama did wonderful things for our country, including those words which I’m sure will be used for many, many years.

In fifth grade, our teachers brought us to our school auditorium to watch Obama’s first inauguration. In ninth grade, we watched Obama swear in for the second time on our computers during lunch. This year, I watched on my phone in the middle of a lecture hall before Introduction to Political Science started. Next time around, I may be in another classroom, or in an office building, or I may not even be in America. But I’ll be watching. I’ll be watching every time.