Recently, I started interviewing VCU students and Richmond locals about the election and their reaction to the results. I've conducted interviews with a diverse group of people, from Clinton supporters to Trump supporters to people who stayed relatively neutral and didn't care one way or another who won. I believe it's important to learn about other people's opinions, even if the aim is to eventually protest against them. Whatever the reason, gaining perspective about the election can be beneficial to everyone. This first person I interviewed was someone who felt pretty neutral about the situation, but received some judgement against him based on common stereotypes about Trump supporters, even though he never identified himself as a Trump supporter in any way. He wished to remain anonymous, and the interview was conducted over Facebook messenger. The transcript is below.

Interviewer: "My first question...would be, who did you want to win the election?"

Anonymous: "Honestly, I had no opinion. I would’ve been happy as long as it was not Clinton. If Johnson would’ve won, I would be happy as well."

Interviewer: "How did you feel after seeing the election results?"

Anonymous: "Indifferent."

Interviewer: "Okay. What does Donald Trump winning mean for you personally? How do you think it’s going to affect your life?"

Anonymous: "All it means is we have a new president. It’s not the end of the world."

Interviewer: "How do you think America is going to change now that [Donald Trump] has won the election?"

Anonymous: "Not much. Besides the ignorance, nothing will change in reality. Everyday you’ll wake up, take a shower, go to work, and make money at your job."

Interviewer: "You seem pretty indifferent. Has this affected any relationships in your life, or have you been negatively judged for not taking a bigger stand one way or the other?"

Anonymous: "Oh yes, I’ve been targeted by people who seem to think I’m for Trump. I’ve had drinks thrown at my car, been cussed at, nearly ran off the road. The list goes on. All because my car is very patriotic."

Interviewer: "What do you mean by 'very patriotic'?"

(He then showed me pictures of his car, which sported several America flags but did not have any Trump-supporting bumper stickers on it or anything that indicated that he supported Trump, or any other candidate for that matter.)

Interviewer: "If you could say anything to these people who are judging you based on your car, what would you say?"

Anonymous: "Basically, it goes like this: They hate being targeted, and mistreated. All the negativity, the hurtful names, and the uncalled for activities. If they hate everything that’s going on to them, why inflict the pain on somebody who is innocent? I’ve never met these Americans a day in my life, yet they treat me like an outcast? I thought us, as Americans, were supposed to stick together. Not yell at each other and fall apart. United we stand, divided we fall."

I would like to thank the anonymous interviewee for letting me ask his opinion regarding the election. Obviously, I think it's wrong to stereotype someone based on their car decorations. If the situation were reversed, and someone were attacked as a Clinton supporter because they had a rainbow flag bumper sticker but no actual indication that they were a Clinton supporter, there would be an uproar. There is a big double standard here, and I don't condone attacking someone in either case, even as a protest against Trump. As he said in his interview in a very poignant statement, "I thought us, as Americans, were supposed to stick together. Not yell at each other and fall apart. United we stand, divided we fall." All this concerned citizen wants is peace...and is that too much to ask?