The results of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election has become one of the most, if not the most controversial in history. With controversy comes a time of trial for the American people. Who one voted for became a moral issue: if you vote for one, you allow racist and sexist ideas, and condone dictatorship, while if you vote for the other you support a liar, accept a cheater, and "throw away" the notion of national security. Either way, you are wrong, and either way someone is angry. There would have been protests with any result, even if not as extreme as the ones we see now. With Trump in office, we have seen the rooted racism in our government offices, and now know the extent to which the administration is willing to go to act on their backward ideals. So what can we do? Protest. We have a right to protest the government's actions, but what does that accomplish? Are we acting on the beliefs that inspire change for the better, or are we only adding fuel to the fire that burns the progress that has been made in previous years? There is no right answer, but there is something more that we can do.
Protesting has had a history of making change. That's why we do it. It draws attention to the issue at hand and demands to be heard by people who normally wouldn't take a second glance. But this administration is different. It has seemingly ignored every concern shouted at them, and defied the system of checks and balances that are meant to prevent one branch from usurping power. Where is the support for these policies, besides what we see within the government? Every time we log in to Facebook or Twitter there is someone complaining, or posting pictures of protesting the actions of our leaders. But the disappointment keeps coming, regardless of the number of protests we attend. Protests can be invigorating, exciting, emotional, and inspiring, but that is a small victory on an individual scale. What does it actually do? The Muslim Ban has a now imminent second part, the Dakota Access Pipeline has not been shut down, and countries around the world still have compromised women's healthcare because of our leader's support for these ideals. While protests can be comforting in knowing people share your same beliefs and can make you feel like you've done something good, they obviously aren't working.
If we can't make progress with protests, what can we do? We need a fresh start. We need to think outside the box and create active organizations that actually make change. We can write to and visit our senators and representatives, and elect better fit people to lead us on national, state, and local levels, but ultimately it comes down to the people. There is a plethora of things we can do as individuals to make the changes we want to see a reality. Voicing our concerns to each other is a great way to spread awareness and inspire others to make change. We can do all that we can to support those oppressed and show our support through verbal or physical acts. We must approach these issues through channels that haven't been explored before. In the words of Bernard Shaw, "the possibilities are numerous when we decide to act and not react."
