I had always believed that Republicans were definitely the "harsher" of the two political parties in the United States because that's how they'd always been perceived. I knew Democrats viewed the various Republican stances as morally wrong and closed-minded. This is what today's political society had taught me, that my party, the Republican party, had something to explain, something to apologize for.
I knew what I believed in and where I stood, but there was also that notion that I should've been somewhat ashamed, as if I had to say "I'm sorry, but I believe .........."
As the 2016 election approached, I genuinely believed deep down that conservatives were a decent part of the problem, the reason why the divide between the two parties was so large.
Being a conservative, I was told constantly, "Trump will not win." Trust me, I believed it. The morning of election day, I just knew it was going to be another four years of a Democratic agenda. I wasn't a fan, but the country would survive. It had survived for eight years under Obama; what would another four years be? Hillary wouldn't be "my president," but of course, I would respect her anyway.
Around midnight on election day, the results were slowly beginning to shape out. It was that time when I was proved wrong.
I stayed on Twitter, waiting to hear about how awful I was.
Here's a small list of what I found:
Conservatives: I hope this frustrates you, and remember, in this case, you are not the problem.
Liberals: I hope you're appalled, and I hope you see that this isn't loving and accepting, you know, the things you're ALL about.
I did everything I was supposed to do; I expressed my right as an American citizen, and I voted on November 8, 2016. I voted for the person that I thought was best suited for office, and suddenly, I'm the problem.
I'm a racist.
I'm sexist.
I'm a bigot.
I'm uneducated.
I'm a hateful, horrible person.
Except... I'm not. I just didn't vote for the "right" candidate or party.
After I had Democrats telling me that I was the problem, I held no hostilities.
After I had Democrats telling me that I had completely screwed over the next generation, I still held no hostilities.
After I had Democrats telling me that I, a privileged, white person, was selfish and racist because I only cared about white people, I still held no hostilities.
After I had Democrats telling me that I was part of the reason behind the worst thing that could've happened to our country (Republican majority in the House, Senate, and White House), I still held no hostilities.
After I saw some Democrats ridiculing people and standing outside to protest because their candidate lost the election, I still held no hostilities.
After I had Democrats telling me that I deserved to die because of the candidate I voted for, I held only slight hostilities.
Where, in my reactions, did I indicate I was the problem?
I am a Conservative, but I am not the problem.
