As someone who is relatively quiet about my opinions and thoughts when it comes to politics, this article is slightly out of character for me, i'll admit. However, I believe this election has brought about a thought in my head too crucial to simply keep to myself. And don't worry, I am not going to lecture you about why Hillary should have one and why trump sucks if thats what you may have assumed. In fact, i'm not going to advocate for either candidate at all, although it may seem like it. I just have a thought and i'd like you to take a moment to consider it.
When I first heard that Donald Trump was running for president I thought it was a joke. Then when I heard about the wall he was promoting, I thought the joke was just going further. After that I heard about all of his derogatory statements towards women. At that point I said to myself, "give up on the joke already and drop out. This is getting ridiculous."
Clearly he wasn't joking though, as he is now "President Trump."
I wish that I could say that I look up to Trump, or Hillary for that matter. They both definitely have their faults, however Trump is now the leader of a country that many share so much pride in, so it is his faults that are being absorbed by our nation now.
It is hard for me to look at President Trump, knowing and understanding the extent of the degrading rhetoric he has used towards women. It is even harder for me to know that most of the males my age have heard him say these things too. It can only lead me to assume that if the president insults women and gets away with it simply by saying that it was years ago, when he was immature, then won't men my age try to use that same excuse to use the same type of language?
Additionally, you should know that I am not some crazy feminist. I am simply a person who believes in respect and understands that if a woman were talking to a man in this type of way it would be just as wrong. So, I understand that even some women might try to play the "it was a mistake" card as a way to continue using sexist language.
The issue goes back to the person leading our country, the one who is in every news resource and social media outlet. If it were Hillary Clinton we would be worrying about people thinking it is alright for them to use their personal emails for work use, but it's not. Our president is Trump.
I understand that not every man in the country will suddenly become someone who speaks down to women, but I can not say that I don't think more men will since Trump has become our president.
When I walk around my college campus already I have to use an extra set of eyes on the back of my head to look out for men who think they have the upper hand. If Donald Trump says that "when you're a star, they let you do it," does this apply on college campuses too? What if he is a star of the basketball team or just thinks he is deserving? So Trump, since you said stars are allowed to, I have to keep my guard up ten times more than I did before?
I can't say enough that I am not trying to take sides or push my political opinions on anyone. Its just that i'm a little more scared than I used to be and I am sure a bunch of you are too.
