This is a note to all those who find issue with the Trump presidency. To all those, mainly college students but others as well, who want to make a difference. I would like to start by saying I do not take issue with safe spaces. Everyone needs one, from college students to middle aged farmers. They take different forms, from physical areas where students can simply sit and relax to sitting in front of the T.V. Some like to be alone in their safe spaces, others like to surround themselves with people. But, everyone has one. This is meant as an encouragement to leave your safe spaces now more than ever.
Again, this is not a criticism of safe spaces, but rather a plea adjacent to them— something that can functional simultaneously. Step out of your safe spaces when you can. Whenever you muster up the strength, step out. We— every single citizen of the US, no matter your race or sex or gender or sexuality— need you all. What we need right now are bodies and minds. Nothing changes in society by itself. Change must be brought about by people. And guess what? You’re a person. We need to stand together to show discontent. That is the least we can do right now. But we cannot do that from safe spaces.
Whenever you muster the strength, step out and speak up. Show how you feel. Words that do not reach those ears which do not listen do nothing. We cannot limit our voices to ourselves, because we are all in agreement. We need to project our voices beyond our own ears, outside of our own crowd. We need to shout until we are heard. We must shout deliberately. If we do not, our message is lost in chaos and confusion.
I am writing this within a week of the election. This is a critical time for resistance. This is the time to find exactly what we want, and make the message clear. It cannot be as simple as “we do not like Trump”. That is not an argument. I’ve already seen many many posts that put the issues forth quite eloquently. These are wonderful and helpful. I’ve also seen posts which do not address the issues, but only complain that they are there. These do nothing but shut the ears of those who do not want to listen. I reiterate: we cannot simply continue to reaffirm our feelings among ourselves. We must step out of our safe spaces and be ready to meet resistance. If you meet resistance, you are talking to the right people. These are the ones who we must make a dialogue with.
I’m sure this will not reach anyone who I’ve been asking you to talk to. I’m sure the word “safe space” has already triggered them. If they made it this far, perhaps the word “triggered” has even triggered them. That is why this is addressed to you who want to read this and make a difference. We need to shout outwards.
