If you're reading this, that means you clicked on it. That means that something, whether it was the headline or photo banner caught your attention, or maybe you're a good friend of mine. If it's the latter, thank you. If it's the former, I'm not sure what you expect me to say. You see a millennial proudly post another article from the conglomerated college newspaper known as the Odyssey and wonder what they have to say. It's all already been said, right? There will never be enough open letters to even begin to describe the plethora of emotions the American people feel right now. The joy, fear, sadness, anger, shock, confusion and many other emotions people held in their hearts is what I am going to remember the most from this election.
I acknowledge that I am speaking from a point of privilege save for my gender, so take my words with a grain of salt. I will say I am extremely nervous about our next four years and can only hope that Donald Trump and a Republican legislature will make the right choices to keep this country from tearing at the seams. Even that statement is a tough one to swallow down for me, as his remarks toward Muslims, women and those in the LGBTQ community do not exhibit ideologies I feel the leader of the free world should possess. I also find his views on climate change to be unsettling as well as his vice president Mike Pence's support of funding conversion therapy for LGBTQ individuals and his thoughts on evolution.
And there are those who will agree with me. And there are those who will not.
It's justifiable to fight and protest against hateful and discriminatory rhetoric, but don't embody it.
It's also okay to defend what you stand for, but you don't get to tell somebody else how they're feeling. You have no right to invalidate an individual's experience of living in America, or anywhere for that matter.
So, what's next? The hopeful answer to start a sustained dialogue. Talk to each other. I've seen posts from both liberal and conservative points of view, both rooted in hate and fear of each other. In Stephen Colbert's post-election remarks, he explains that we are scared of each other and more divided than ever. If you voted for Donald Trump, I don't want you to unfriend me on Facebook. I will not unfriend you. I want to talk to you. I want to understand your reasons. If tears streamed down your face on election night, I want to talk to you too. I was surrounded by somber faces that late Tuesday evening, but it is your passionate voice that needs to be heard and shown to the other side. Nothing is going to happen if you do not make space for the other.
The practical answer is to vote in the midterm election if you're upset by the results of last Tuesday. You do not have to wait until 2020 to make a difference in politics. You can do something about our legislature on November 6 of 2018. There will be 33 senate seats at the hands of your vote, as well as all house seats. That's 435 house seats that could potentially be changed. Of course, incumbents usually hold a strong advantage, but as we all know, every vote matters. EVERY. VOTE. MATTERS.
So, what's next? Well, that's up to you. I gave my answers. It's up to us.
