As we inaugurated the first ever US president to be accused of child rape, the first ever US president to refuse to show proof of paying taxes, and the first US president to successfully run a platform blatantly on hatred, bigotry, sexism, homophobia, and racism, most of America finds itself worrying about the danger that will come from the next four years. Donald Trump is a threat whether you are a woman, gay, Muslim, of color, poor, in need of health care, trans, disabled, an immigrant, and everyone in between.
In the past year we’ve gone from calling outright racists and Nazis to kindly calling them “alt-right”. Why is this okay? Why are we questioning whether people can still be good and kind and deserving of respect when they fall under the description of a literal Nazi? Why is this up for debate?
We’ve slowly seen media change its tone when speaking about Trump and the policies he plans to enact and the people he’s welcomed into power. We rarely, if ever, see the fear, concern and absurdity that these people should be received with and instead see media skirting around issues and taking ridiculous headlines seriously. We see the media softening what is really going to happen to our country in the shadow of electing a man who hates most of the population into a seat of real power.
So the fears that most people feel is completely founded and in this time it’s important to find ways to live through the next four years as rights and respects are taken away from every day people.
Staying informed is probably one of the most important tools to have for the next four years; misinformation can be damaging to others and yourself so always make sure your information is correct. We know that Trump has a habit of lying and exaggerating so it’s important to find sources that are reputable and don’t sugar coat just because he’s the head of the country.
It’s also important to find a supportive group of people who share the same fears and concerns to create a safe space and network. Knowing you’re not alone during these times and struggles is important for both information sharing and emotional encouragement.
As we saw in the first couple of months after his election, people who’ve harbored ill thoughts about minority groups have been emboldened to say and act what they really feel without guilt. This means that we should be ready and prepared to defend others and ourselves. Public attacks have become more common and in just the first 10 days after the election America experienced nearly 900 hate crimes. Protecting and supporting others who may be in vulnerable positions is important to the overall survival in the next four years. Letting racists, and homophobes, and islamphobics, and zenophobics know that even though their president may agree with them, they are not welcome and we will not put up with their shit.
One last piece of advice I can give is to stay angry. No matter how the media tries to twist and soften things, and no matter how the news will say it’s not that bad, the things Trump has proposed, encouraged, and enacted are not okay and never will be. Stay angry so you can fight and stay angry so you can remember that this isn’t where the bar should be. Stay angry so everyone whose pro-Trump can see that they never should’ve elected a reality TV star to lead a country.
