If you're anything like me, this election was not what you were expecting. Having to choose between a woman who is being investigated by the FBI and a media tycoon who objectifies and assaults women was not the choice I wanted to be faced with. As a fist-time voter, I was not thrilled with the options. But I had hoped that whatever our country decided, we would work with it and would work on making America stronger together again (see what I did there?).
I cannot believe how wrong I was.
This was the first time I have been truly ashamed of my generation. Following the announcement of the president-elect, the American flag was burned, protests filled the streets, and a cry of "not my president" was heard around the globe. I could not believe what America had become.
It's amazing how intolerant the tolerant can become, isn't it? People turned against one another for the same reason that so many have struggled to come together. President Obama and Secretary Clinton, among others including Bernie Sanders, have shown their support and their willingness to work with President-Elect Trump in order to better the nation. I wish I could say the same for our country. And our citizens. Because sometimes there are more important things in life that happen that make people snap awake. Things that matter more than male birth control.
He is not the best. He is certainly not the person I would have selected to represent America ideally. But this is our country, and he will be our president. People need to realize that "me" is not the most important thing in the world, and you might not get everything you want. This nation is throwing a temper tantrum because for the first time, this instantaneous, spoiled generation has been disappointed. We have grown up in a world where everyone is entitled, and everyone deserves things for being what and who they are. When things don't go our way, let's burn things and cry and scream. NO. We are better than this.Yet Trump will be our president, and we are not giving him anything for what he is. How does burning our nation's flag that people have DIED for make anything better? Think about that. How many of you have such a passion for something that you would die for it? Imagine someone taking that and burning it. Because that's what happened. Every person who burned or took part in burning the American flag is part of America. People seem to forget that. We can work together and work for the same cause. As President Obama stated, we are all on the same team. We need to fight for the future, together.
Trump will not move backward. He will move forward, with our help. He needs the support and respect that we as citizens need to give him in order to succeed. We are all Americans, and when things get harder, we cannot simply march in the streets and chant "not my president," because he is.
He deserves a chance. Let's buckle down and keep the flag up. We are, at the end of the day, all Americans. Remember what brought us together as a nation after the 9/11 attacks, the shootings at Sandy Hook and Orlando, Ferguson and many other events that reminded us what it meant to be American. Let's ask what we can do for our country, and fight for America.
