I woke up this morning thinking I was in either a Twilight Zone or Black Mirror episode. Trump actually won. It took a few hours for me to believe that, then a few more to snap myself out of the disillusionment that had made me consider giving up hope in my nation. Seeing our people elect an openly racist, misogynistic and xenophobic demagogue made me question whether my passion for politics was worth it.
Looking through social media, I noticed this was not just me, a lot of people are under the impression that our nation is doomed. A lot of people are commenting that they know see the true racism our country holds and how Females, African Americans, Muslims, the LGBTQ community and immigrants have all been betrayed by our people.
But I am here to say something that is not widely believed right now, THERE IS STILL HOPE!
We owe ourselves more than despair. Our progressive movements were not for nothing and we cannot give up on them. We simply have to fight harder. We are facing a hiccup, but that is no reason to give up.
Activist Van Jones spoke recently about the election results, calling it a "white-lash against a changing country." And that is exactly what it is. Our society is moving towards acceptance and equality every day. Within the Obama presidency we legalized gay marriage and we started a universal healthcare system. We are on a positive path, and inevitebly we will experience some backlash from the racist underbelly within the Unites States. And this is it - White America's last stand against inclusion. But, likely, Trump's presidency will destroy any illusion that our country can exist in 2016 and beyond without adapting to the equality that modern day demands, and we will move far away from his ideology in 2020.
As a Millennial in Massachusetts, most everyone I know was anti-trump, it was always a surprise to me when I came across a supporter. But that is not specific to Millennials in Massachusetts, according to a survey, if Millennials had controlled the entire electorate, Hillary would've won by a landslide, 504-23.
That means that the vast majority of young people aren't supporting a a conservative and racist ideology and their eyes are wide open to the harm he has and will cause. Furthermore, now young people are more clued in than ever. The unprecedented social media coverage of the election has propelled the millennial generation into the political arena. And we have to stay there. The aging generation elected Trump and it can be considered their last conservative stand, or better put, the last "white-lash." It is our job as Americans and young people to not give up on our country now, and continue fighting through this last stand of outdated ideology, through the Trump presidency and beyond. We are a part of America's political climate, and one day we will control it. So if I had to thank Trump for one thing, it would be getting so many more people from our generation into politics and aware of the world around them.
Similarly to the Bush/Gore election, Hillary actually won the popular vote, but Trump took the election through the electoral college. Hillary won 47.66% of the vote, while Trump amassed 47.50%. So when you read tweets or Facebook posts saying things such as our country is full of racists, know that the majority actually voted against hate. The majority of our country is still fighting for the greater good. My plea to you is not to completely give up on the country or the people in it.
We have taken a major step back as a nation, and it is our job to not allow any more backwards momentum, instead we need to inch forward until we can sprint again. I am calling all the disillusioned to accept this loss and move on. We have many more battles to fight and we cannot forget our movement towards acceptance. Let's not give up now, let's fight harder than ever.
And to Millennials: don't let our say in politics dwindle, let's stay aware and a major part of the decisions that effect us. Let's not let the conservative underbelly destroy the equality so many people have fought to build. Find out about your local politics, become a part of the town-wide, statewide and national conversation, don't let one hiccup discourage your passion and continue fighting the good fight.
We can make it through the next four years.
