It's sad that people are preaching love but in a hateful way

The past couple of days since Trump has been inaugurated into office, my boyfriend and I have been discussing what kind of President he is going to be for this country. This is a man who built up a campaign off of racist and sexist slanders. A man who told his honest opinion and never held back on what was on his mind. This caused the public to pay attention to him. Even if most times it was negative attention, he was still capturing the media's eye which is what he needed in order to have the job he has currently, which is running our country.

Citizens throughout this country have spent so much time hating this man for saying whatever sh!t was on his mind but in all honesty, he has been telling us what everyone has been thinking, but have been too afraid to admit, "This country is the most divided it has ever been." In a backlash we have decided to preach peace and love in a very hateful way.

Today in the 21st century, it has become more and more clear about many people's beliefs and how things should be run today. There are many strong voices coming from people about LGBTQ+ rights, Women's rights and the rights of others are not being heard and respected the way they should. We are so lucky to live in a country that we are able to speak openly about our beliefs and how we as citizens think things should be run. However, in a time of strong opinions, we are far from getting anything accomplished without listening to each other.

Since Donald Trump has been inaugurated into office, there have been so many rallies going on along with harsh opinions thrown around on the internet. During the inauguration ceremony alone, rioters in Washington D.C. were vandalizing cars, smashing public business' windows i.e. Starbucks and Bank of America. Rioters were reported throwing rocks and bottles at the police officers who were trying to stop these acts of violence. Facebook has been covered with many users' opinions on Trump being in office, his acts as President already, the acts of others in protest to what is going on right now. All of these posts however, have been commented with hateful words and strong viewpoints of another user. Riots, posts and comments have made it extremely clear that "not sharing my exact view, I am going to hate you for it or be very negative towards you."

There was a good example of a peaceful protest that was extremely successful that happened just the other day on a GLOBAL scale. A women's march that was created to enact change and start a conversation- instead of the rights of others being a stigma. During the time of this march, not a single participant was arrested! This march captured the attention of millions in a very peaceful way. It also got us to talk on a healthier level and understand really where a lot of us are coming from in regards to women's reproductive rights, gender identity of individuals and the standards of women in society.

Many people view that Trump's campaign platform was built off of racial and sexist slurs, insulting many groups of people that make up the United States. In reality, we are no better than him right now. Fighting hate with hate by using violence and slander is not getting any job done. It is just making everyone upset and creating even more hate. We are lucky to be in a nation that is so diverse and we should be using this diversity to make us stronger- not one group of people should over-power another one.The diverse communities of Women, Men, LGBTQ+ community members, Hispanics and other racial groups, along with Political party members are meant to work as one and be united.

I am all about having an opinion and beliefs. I do believe in my voice to have power and meaning. I do believe by using my voice I am able to get what I want, but my voice won't be heard by itself.There is no "dominant" group where their beliefs are more important than another's. You want to see a change? Participate in peaceful movements, go to your representatives both state and local and most importantly listen to other groups wants and needs and see how you can work together to reach your goal. In this time, all we have is each other. We need to stand together as a united front instead of slamming each other.