I thought that my last article would be the only political post on this site and I would just get back to talking about my comic books. I will with my next one…probably. I guess I can’t make any promises at this point.

This is an appeal to those who are writing off the protestors as crybabies, to those who are calling the people who are angry or sad about the election results on social media as entitled and to those who are writing it all off.

Please understand that this is not just a political issue to us. This is a humanitarian issue. This is a matter of right and wrong. This isn’t just being sore losers. This is us being genuinely afraid of what’s to come. People wouldn’t be seriously considering taking their own lives if this were just a political issue.

I’m so sick and tired of seeing political cartoons, hearing political commentators and talking to people who think that the protesters are being silly, entitled millennials who can’t stand having lost. These people are, ironically, the same people who tend to call millennials lazy “slacktivists.”

So, like I said, this is an appeal. We aren’t just upset about election results. We are afraid of what will happen next. Especially with the hate crimes and harassment transpiring at this very moment, before the man has even been sworn in, we are horrified of what the future president of our nation will do to this nation and especially to the already disenfranchised. This is a humanitarian issue, a human rights dilemma, a racial/sexual/LGBTQIA concern.

Stop ignoring us. Stop writing us off. That is helping no one. Hear us out. I won’t argue against the theory that the political divide in this country is wider than ever, but you need to listen to us if you want us to listen to you. A big drive of these protests is that we feel like no one is listening to us right now. We lost. Our opinions feel invalid. Our voices feel silenced. We are afraid of being drowned out by the generation that came before us, their acolytes in our generation and the members of our own generation who just don’t care.

And this is me extending an olive branch. If you did support (forcing myself to say these next words) president-elect Donald J. Trump, tell us why. No more shouting. No more cacophonous and condescending speeches that have little to no context. No more complaints about the liberal media, and certainly no more “because Hillary is a crook.” Tell us why. I don’t believe in generalizations, and I know that some people who supported Donald Trump aren’t bigots, racists, homophobes and sexists. I have met some of them. I know they exist. If you think he’ll actually help the poor, explain that. If you believe he’ll actually take on the big banks, say so. There are things we can agree on, but you have to be willing to meet us there.

Listen to us, meet us halfway, and we can do the same for you. If you call us whiners, tell us it’s not that big of a deal or ignore us altogether, we can’t come to the table.

For my brothers and sisters out there protesting, keep going. You have a voice. If they don’t listen, keep going until they do. You’re not entitled; you’re empowered. I’m not a political strategist, but I think we should link some of these disparate movements. The Standing Rock protests, the Black Lives Matter movement, these are all humanitarian causes that are concerned with the downtrodden. Our wills are stronger, and our voices are louder when they are united under the same roof. This last election showed the growing weakness of the two parties, and we should be waiting in the wings with a new cause when that happens. That’s just a thought. I won’t claim to be an expert, but that may be the next step.

Lastly, because I’m still angry and driven, I have one last message. This is intended for those who have felt encouraged by the election of Donald Trump to harass and attack people of a different race, sex, religion, etc. from you. This is dedicated to the people who are ripping off the hijabs of Muslim women, telling Latin Americans that they are going to be deported, calling African Americans the “N” word or other slurs and the men threatening or following through with the sexual assault of women.

You can go fuck yourself.

I have no quarter for you people. There is no halfway to meet with you. You are everything I fight against. Your prehistoric, hateful, bullshit ideas are everything I stand against. You can go straight to hell. If I see your ilk harassing or accosting people on my college campus or anywhere in public, you can bet that we’ll meet in person soon.

For the other Trump supporters who do not fall under this umbrella, we can talk. Hear us out, listen to us, and don’t shout us down. We can meet halfway here. Just understand that this is a moral and human rights issue for us.

For the protesters, victims and fellow human beings who are afraid of what’s to come, know you are not alone. Others exist out there like you. Don’t give up. We’ll make it, united and strong. There will be change, and we want you here to see it and enjoy it.