The 2016 election was a mess. It was petty and controversial. It brewed hate and it fed fear. It brought out the worst and the best in Americans, and it has left our country divided, angry and hurt.
I've gone through an entire spectrum of emotions since Tuesday night. I've felt frustrated, sad, scared, hopeful, motivated and angry. This was not the outcome I was hoping for. I've shed a lot of tears and I've done a lot of thinking, and ultimately, I've come to this conclusion. I'm not mad, I'm disappointed.
Yes, that phrase that your mom throws out that crushes you to your core - that's the way I feel towards America right now.
I'm not mad at people who voted for Donald Trump, because I'm glad that they exercised their right to vote, even if it was for someone I do not want to represent me. Though my gut reaction is to associate those who supported Trump with the racist, sexist, hateful messages that this man spewed out, I know, or at least I hope, that most people did not vote for this candidate because they supported his hate.
I think that most people who voted for our now President-elect voted for him for reasons that have nothing to do with his views towards women, racial minorities, Muslims, the LGBTQ+ community, or those who are disabled. They voted for him in hopes of a change in the political system, or for his plan for the economy, or because they couldn't stand Hillary Clinton. They voted for Donald Trump because they want to support small-business owners or prefer his plan for combating ISIS. I know this. I know these people weren't voting with hate in their hearts.
What disappoints me is that in voting for Donald Trump for any of these reasons, people held their economic values, foreign policy opinions, etc. over the human dignity of their fellow citizens. Most Trump supporters don't wish ill will on anyone. A vote for Trump is not endorsing his behavior, but, at the same time, it's certainly not condemning it either.
It disappoints me that Trump's language and actions towards vulnerable groups in our country is not big enough of a moral issue for almost half of our voters. It disappoints me to know that over 60 million people could overlook Trump's racist, sexist, Islamophobic and otherwise cruel behavior and remarks in order to support other political values. It upsets me that the safety, well-being and love towards our fellow citizens were so low of a priority.
I'm disappointed because Trump's campaign thrived off of portraying groups that are different as the other, the lesser. His election sends the message that we tolerate this kind of behavior. It's a vehicle for (what I hope is) the minority of Americans who are hateful towards others to express and act on these feelings, because through our votes we have validated this hate.
I'm disappointed because I don't believe that Donald Trump represents American tolerance, love, diversity and unity, yet we have voted for him to represent us to the rest of the world.
But, like a disappointed mother has for her child, I still have faith in this country. I am hurt, scared and disappointed by Americans' actions, but I'm not giving up hope. I don't think I'll ever get over my disappointment, but I'm looking forward.
I don't know what Trump is going to do for this country, but I pray that he leaves a positive mark. We can't fall into hatred; we can't go backwards.
