This might come off harsh, but hear me out.

It's great to see so many people are aware of the racism, misogyny and xenophobia being portrayed by Donald Trump's campaign in this current election cycle. The 24-hour news cycle coupled with the power of social media has made Trump one of the most infamous people in the current public eye. Phrases like "Anyone But Trump" and "Idk Not Trump Tho" have become one of the most popular recent trends as of late. It's something many people, including myself, have thought from time to time as his comments have become progressively ignorant. A large amount of people who deem themselves apolitical are even finding themselves openly opposing his opinions.

So how is Trump still winning? A lot of the people who openly oppose Trump aren't throwing their support behind another candidate running against him in the election. Without supporting someone opposing him in the race, Trump supporters have an open door to give him the nomination, and quite possibly the entire election. What's worse, only about 1/3 of the United States population votes in presidential elections (in which devout Republicans are statistically more likely to vote.) It's a perfect storm for a Trump take-over.

Simply disagreeing with Trump isn't enough. It's great that you're aware of injustices being served in this world, but merely sharing a post on Facebook fuels the flames without putting out the fire. Hyping up pro-Trump supporters, who are much more likely to vote in the upcoming election than their antagonists, increases the chances of his nomination if voter turn-out for his opponents doesn't increase simultaneously. In essence, the public is creating the nightmare situation everyone is fearing.

As a United States citizen, it is our civil duty to participate in the democratic process in order to create a more perfect union. Withholding your vote is essentially accepting the fate your peers choose for your county. If you don't vote, you really don't have the right to complain about the way this country is run. If you don't want someone like Trump holding office, it's your duty to remain informed.

Being informed nowadays really isn't hard either, and doesn't take nearly as much time and effort as it once did in the pre-digital age. Social media has made consuming news and politics easier than ever before, making a much wider array of news available to a much broader audience. The expansion of technology has allowed not only our expansion of knowledge but the expansion of power we now have over politicians to fact-check every statement they make if we so choose.

With so much power in our hands as citizens and voters, we would be crazy not to utilize it to some extent. Yet every single day, millions of people refuse to look beyond the headlines because of their prejudice towards the political process. Unless more people become a part of the political process, people like Trump will continue to be elected into office in this country. If people don't step up and learn about the other eligible candidates opposing Trump, how will anyone defeat him? This isn't the first time something of this nature has happened in United States politics, but it takes conscious action to make a change in the way we elect leaders in this country.

So stop saying "Idk Not Trump Tho" and "Anyone But Trump" unless you're willing to put your vote behind another candidate in order to prevent him from earning the nomination. If you choose not to vote, you essentially are giving up your right to criticize the government. If you don't go out and vote for someone other than Trump for the nomination, do not complain when he becomes the nominee. Likewise, there's no grounds for complaints if you choose not to vote for his opponent in the general election only for Trump to win. You aren't doing anyone any favors by withholding your vote. Trust me, I'll take anyone but Trump myself, but if you don't participate in the political process, you can't expect any sort of change to occur.