I was walking through the Boston Commons on my way to breakfast. As I walked up the hill, a 30-year-old-looking Caucasian man stepped in front of me.

"You look like a man. You're a freaking Indian, you know that? A dark one. Who told you you could walk here?"

Scared, I turned around and tried to walk away. He stepped in front of me again, leaving little space between us.

"Who said you could walk away from me?" He continued to spew racist and xenophobic rhetoric for a couple of minutes and left.

I realize this encounter could have ended up much worse; this man was not physically violent with me. I am grateful for that. However, this event is yet another symptom of an epidemic facing America.

Of course racism, xenophobia, and islamaphobia existed in America long before Trump won the GOP nomination. Their presence was a requirement for Donald Trump's success. So how has Donald Trump's candidacy changed anything? Why are people terrified of the idea of a Trump presidency?

We use words to express our ideas; they are thus powerful tools. Language and rhetoric are vectors for cultural shifts and norms. Trump saying misogynistic and racist statements on national highly esteemed platforms matters and has a huge potential for impact.

Mr. Trump has not even won the election and is already giving discrimination an undeserved voice and sense of legitimacy. A Trump supporter recently verbally harassed a Black woman for taking the last seat on a New York City subway, exclaiming "Trump 2016" at the end. Instances of misogyny, islamaphobia, homophobia, and racism are plentiful at Donald Trump rallies. David Duke, a former KKK leader, started his campaign to be a Louisiana Senator a day after the Republican National Convention. In fact, the former KKK leader said that Mr. Trump's insults and attacks against undocumented immigrants and Muslims have brought his own beliefs into the mainstream; he is confident that Trump's Louisiana supporters will support him, as well.

Maybe you like Mr. Trump in spite of this. Let's talk about two other common reasons people support Trump.

If you like Mr. Trump because he tells "it how it is" and is not a stereotypical politician, I want to push you on what that "it" is. He does tell a certain narrative. Mr. Trump isn't afraid to claim that all Muslims are suspect to terrorist behavior, that gay marriage is morally wrong, and that women who are sexually assaulted are weak. He tells a homophobic, islamaphobic, racist, xenophobic, and misogynistic narrative. If this is a narrative that you value, then perhaps he does speak to you. But please, "tell it how it is": Mr. Trump tells the discriminatory narrative how it is.

Though, I do think it is important for you to take note of his blatant "not telling it how it is". There was the whole Trump University scam, where he gained profit at the expense of hardworking Americans. Only 30% of his statements have been coded as being even somewhat true by PolitiFact, compare that to Obama's 75%.

If you like Mr. Trump because he is rich and you think that he will be able to improve the American economy, please consider the immense wealth he was born into and the number of times he still has managed to fail.

Let's start with 1990. Financial backers behind Trump's real estate investments had to bail him out with a rescue package, $65 million worth of new loans and credit. Fast forward 9 months: Donald Trump still managed to be $4 billion in debt.

In 2004, Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts declared bankruptcy. He renamed the company (Trump Entertainment Resorts inc.) and tried to maintain financial stability, but in 2009 the company filed bankrupt again...and again in 2010. That's three times in 6 years for one company.

Moreover, globally renowned American investor and billionaire, Warren Buffet (net wort: $64.7 billion) told the New York Times that "a monkey throwing darts at the stock pages in 1995, when Mr. Trump first offered stock in his Atlantic City hotels, would have come out far ahead of anyone who listened to Mr. Trump’s 'siren song' and invested in his company that lost money year over year."

Michael Bloomberg--former mayor of NYC, a former Republican, and the 8th richest person in the world-- has similar sentiments: "Trump says he wants to run the nation like he's running his business? God help us."

There are problems with America. There is no denying that. However, Mr. Trump's presidency will only further fuel them; it will not make America "great".