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On this, the first Monday after the most shocking and unexpected Presidential election in my lifetime, I feel like I’ve been through an emotional ringer. No, the results did not go the way I had wanted or expected. And I think I’ve gone through all five stages of grief. Having done that, I have a polite and respectful message not only to Mr. Trump, but to all of those of you out there who supported him.
I seriously hope I am wrong when it comes to the major concerns I have about this presidency. My (very justified) fear about this victory is that because he ran on a platform of bigotry (ban all Muslims from entering the country), racism (build a wall), sexism (locker room talk), etc.; and actually won, that it empowers ignorant-but-privileged-white-guys to act out in disgusting ways towards other people in this country. I am not exaggerating when I say that in just the short amount of time since the election, I know not one or two but at least four separate people who have been threatened, harassed, and abused by such people because they were different (of color, handicapped, gay, etc.) And ya know what? That is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE! And ya know what else, Mr. Trump and Trump supporters? This type of behavior is exactly why I fought against this presidency. Nobody – NOBODY - deserves to be beaten down by complete strangers just because they appear different.
Now, I know what many of you may be saying – what about the violence being done by protesters? And to them, I would say this – KNOCK IT OFF!!!!!!!!!!! Like it or not, he won and Hillary lost. Stop behaving like savages, and let’s work on making progress with what we have. I don’t want to get into the name-calling or the back and forth between Hillary camps and Donald camps. Why? Because she lost and he won. It’s done. It’s over. Hillary has her place in history and has been through enough scrutiny. As for Mr. Trump, to the best of my knowledge, he won fair and square. And unless and until someone is able to prove otherwise, he fairly won the election. I don’t like it. But frankly, whether or not I like it is not important. He won. And as an American, it is my job to do my best to work with the system. After all, the system that I support is the one that elected him. So no, I will not be joining the “Not My President” mob or mentality. While I don’t respect the man (and will be really curious to see how his sexual assault and fraud court cases drag out), I respect the office of the Presidency. And I encourage as many people that I know to do the same.
But having said that, I expect – actually, I DEMAND to be respected right back.
While I find Mr. Trump’s reversals and backpedaling of opinion in less than a week to be mind-blowing, I’m glad to see them. It seems he realizes that Obamacare isn’t such a horrible thing after all. It seems he realizes that same-gender marriage IS the law and needs to be left alone. It seems that he has finally woken up to the fact that some of his good-ol-boy supporters have been attacking minorities and that they need to stop. Good for him for saying that (finally!) Now all you Bubbas out there who think that this is now AmeriKKKa, KNOCK IT OFF!
No, I am not saying that everyone who supported Trump is a racist white supremacist. I understand that there are many people out there who felt that the past eight years let them down. I’m not going to tell you how to feel. But I AM telling you that many people (myself included) feel very nervous in this new Trump America. And for the many of you out there who have told me, “Oh, nothing bad will happen”, I’m counting on you to make SURE nothing bad happens.
A woman should not have to fear that men will just touch and grab and take what they want.
A person of color should not have to fear a beating because they are of color.
A handicapped person should not have to fear that they are going to be beaten up for being in a chair.
A gay person should not have to fear for his or her life because of whom they love.
A devoutly religious person should not have to fear slander, ridicule, or attack because of how he or she dresses.
Let’s come together, Americans. Let’s heal. And let’s be ever vigilant. Mr. Trump deserves a chance, and I’m going to give him that chance. But if I see my rights or safety threatened OR the rights and safety of my neighbors, you’d better believe I’m going to speak out and speak up. And I hope I’m not alone in this pledge.
I fear that more random acts of hatred and violence are yet to come. But I could be wrong. I HOPE I am wrong! Prove me wrong, Mr. Trump and Trump-supporters. In this case, I want nothing more than to be proven wrong.
I seriously hope I am wrong when it comes to the major concerns I have about this presidency. My (very justified) fear about this victory is that because he ran on a platform of bigotry (ban all Muslims from entering the country), racism (build a wall), sexism (locker room talk), etc.; and actually won, that it empowers ignorant-but-privileged-white-guys to act out in disgusting ways towards other people in this country. I am not exaggerating when I say that in just the short amount of time since the election, I know not one or two but at least four separate people who have been threatened, harassed, and abused by such people because they were different (of color, handicapped, gay, etc.) And ya know what? That is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE! And ya know what else, Mr. Trump and Trump supporters? This type of behavior is exactly why I fought against this presidency. Nobody – NOBODY - deserves to be beaten down by complete strangers just because they appear different.
Now, I know what many of you may be saying – what about the violence being done by protesters? And to them, I would say this – KNOCK IT OFF!!!!!!!!!!! Like it or not, he won and Hillary lost. Stop behaving like savages, and let’s work on making progress with what we have. I don’t want to get into the name-calling or the back and forth between Hillary camps and Donald camps. Why? Because she lost and he won. It’s done. It’s over. Hillary has her place in history and has been through enough scrutiny. As for Mr. Trump, to the best of my knowledge, he won fair and square. And unless and until someone is able to prove otherwise, he fairly won the election. I don’t like it. But frankly, whether or not I like it is not important. He won. And as an American, it is my job to do my best to work with the system. After all, the system that I support is the one that elected him. So no, I will not be joining the “Not My President” mob or mentality. While I don’t respect the man (and will be really curious to see how his sexual assault and fraud court cases drag out), I respect the office of the Presidency. And I encourage as many people that I know to do the same.
But having said that, I expect – actually, I DEMAND to be respected right back.
While I find Mr. Trump’s reversals and backpedaling of opinion in less than a week to be mind-blowing, I’m glad to see them. It seems he realizes that Obamacare isn’t such a horrible thing after all. It seems he realizes that same-gender marriage IS the law and needs to be left alone. It seems that he has finally woken up to the fact that some of his good-ol-boy supporters have been attacking minorities and that they need to stop. Good for him for saying that (finally!) Now all you Bubbas out there who think that this is now AmeriKKKa, KNOCK IT OFF!
No, I am not saying that everyone who supported Trump is a racist white supremacist. I understand that there are many people out there who felt that the past eight years let them down. I’m not going to tell you how to feel. But I AM telling you that many people (myself included) feel very nervous in this new Trump America. And for the many of you out there who have told me, “Oh, nothing bad will happen”, I’m counting on you to make SURE nothing bad happens.
A woman should not have to fear that men will just touch and grab and take what they want.
A person of color should not have to fear a beating because they are of color.
A handicapped person should not have to fear that they are going to be beaten up for being in a chair.
A gay person should not have to fear for his or her life because of whom they love.
A devoutly religious person should not have to fear slander, ridicule, or attack because of how he or she dresses.
Let’s come together, Americans. Let’s heal. And let’s be ever vigilant. Mr. Trump deserves a chance, and I’m going to give him that chance. But if I see my rights or safety threatened OR the rights and safety of my neighbors, you’d better believe I’m going to speak out and speak up. And I hope I’m not alone in this pledge.
I fear that more random acts of hatred and violence are yet to come. But I could be wrong. I HOPE I am wrong! Prove me wrong, Mr. Trump and Trump-supporters. In this case, I want nothing more than to be proven wrong.
