As somebody who has grown up in the Bay Area my entire life, I have always been extremely accustomed to the vast diversity around me: the festive Diwali celebrations, the colorful Día De Los Muertos makeup, and the grand Chinese New Year parades, to name a few. Everyone that lives here is and always has been open to celebrating all cultures, races, and identities. We were always taught to embrace who we are and to speak up and fight for what we believe in, despite not always winning our battles. I am fortunate in that I have rarely, if anything at all, experienced any sort of racism growing up. And if I do see someone being bullied for the color of their skin, the religious beliefs they hold, or the sexual identity they identify with, there are always witnesses, without a doubt, that would stand up, because that is what I and many others believed that is what entails living in America. But today, I feel like I have lost one of the biggest battles today to the biggest bully in mankind: Donald Trump.
I honestly could not care less about the political party he is in: a president should first and foremost be a good person. I also honestly could not care less if this election was a “joke” and “not worth voting for.” Yes, I admit I also felt this way, as I’m sure many others have, but this election, if anything, was a chance for those who have waited 18 years or more, like I have, to voice thoughts on the future four years of our country. The fact that this election was not the best to have waited so long to vote for, made it even more worth voting for. You might think that your vote would not have mattered, but hundreds of thousands if not millions of other people have probably felt the same way and chose to not vote. Voting is a choice, but it is also a right that many people, especially blacks and women, have fought for. If you don’t like the choices, don’t just sit and complain, vote.
I was only three years old when 9/11 happened, but I will never forget all the stories I’ve heard and the effects it had on certain cultures, races, and religions. This election, if anything, is a scary reality check that most parts of the country have people who have the same backwards racist and sexist thoughts as many people had throughout history back in the day, and that nothing has really changed. Donald Trump winning has and will reinforce those same thoughts onto many different cultures, religions, races, and identities 15 years later, making absolutely no change or movement towards acceptance in our country. The fact that more than half of the population of America voted for a man proud of basically sexually assaulting women, spitting out racist and demeaning comments, and just thinks extremely backwards just shows me that not everywhere in the United States is like the environment I grew up in, and that is honestly a shame. So great job, America, for making our country into a laughing stock. Here’s to four years.
Here’s another Donald Trump article I have written a few weeks ago.
