I’ve greatly shifted my perspective of the political realm throughout the duration of this election. In the beginning, when we were all introduced to Bernie Sanders, my interest was piqued. However, I wasn’t passionate and I wasn’t opinionated. I was uninformed.
Although I immediately identified with Bernie on many issues (at the time, most notably, climate change and LGBT+ rights), I hadn’t really taken it upon myself to investigate the other candidates. Mind you, this was my first election. I was only 19 when campaigning commenced, and while I realize that that by no means exempts me from my political responsibilities, I was facing my own troubles, my own battles, and my own trials. Consequently, I was ill-informed. My time was monopolized by other things. However, this slowly but surely began to change.
As the campaigns progressed and the official candidates were selected, I became enthralled. I became well-versed on my candidate’s policies, and I made a very conscious effort to be aware of not only her (of course Hillary was my candidate) ideas, but also her opponent’s. Day after day, insult after insult, Donald Trump became known as the infamous demagogue of the Republican party. His rampant disregard for the division of a nation, a division in which he played a crucial role, solidified my view of him as one of immense contempt.
You must understand, there is something deeply wrong with a nation that allowed a candidate like Donald to get as far as he did. And there is something even more troubling regarding a nation that actually elected a candidate like Donald. Consequently, it is my firm belief that there is no defensible argument for a vote that was given to Trump.
If you voted for Donald Trump, you likely fit into one of three categories: (1) people that identify with and support his blatant misogyny, xenophobia, and racism, (2) people that support his policies (which he doesn’t have) and are willing to support him in spite of his misogyny, xenophobia, and racism, or (3) you are uninformed and are voting for him simply because your family is or because you’ve always voted Republican and saw no reason to shift your stance.
If you belong to the first category, you are, quite simply, what is wrong with this nation. You evidently believe that women are inferior (and yes, even a woman can be a misogynist, although she likely wouldn’t agree because she probably isn’t aware of what misogyny is at its core), whites are inherently superior to all other races, and that foreigners are either worthless or criminal. It happens often that people hold these views but experience some degree of cognitive dissonance because a part of them knows that this is bad, but another part still feels this way (even if the expressions of these beliefs are subtle, as is often the case with microaggressions). This cognitive dissonance may lead these individuals to deny their own prejudice, even in the face of seemingly clear discrimination. Unfortunately, you have the hardest job. You must work to increase your cultural relativity, reduce your ethnocentrism, and recognize the unfounded nature of the white supremacist mindset. There is no legitimate, scientifically verifiable support for the belief that one race is inherently superior to any other, so it then follows that your belief of the contrary is intrinsically illogical.
If you belong to the second category, you must become cognizant of the true scope of these discriminatory ideologies and recognize their potentially fatal implications. Racism kills, xenophobia kills, and misogyny kills. You must broaden your understanding of these issues and allow it to extend beyond images of segregated schools or women as housewives. The racism and misogyny that we face today have taken on much more insidious forms. This discrimination is often subtle, but it is nonetheless omnipresent and incredibly impactful. This group needs only to inform themselves of these issues. Luckily, you do not subscribe to these ideologies. You simply lack the perspective necessary in order to understand how very real and problematic these issues still are. This can be easily corrected if you allow yourself to keep an open mind.
If you belong to the third category, then you simply have no business voting. An uninformed vote, for either candidate, is a vote that I do not believe ought to be cast. It is a direct insult to not only individuals like myself that have made the conscious decision to become informed but also to the candidates that work tirelessly to earn your support, and the democratic institution itself.
The trouble with a vote for Trump, regardless of your personal motivation, is that you have had a hand in the election of a man that has fanned the flames of racism and xenophobia, and for that you are responsible. You have voted to elect a man that has directly contributed to the same culture that enables men to rape women without facing adequate punishment, and for that you are responsible.
Trump’s election has sent a message to all the racists, xenophobes, and misogynists: “you are right.” You are right to be a racist because I am and I became the president of the United States of America. You are right to be a xenophobe because I am and I became the president of the United States of America. You are right to be a misogynist because I am and I became the president of the United States of America. You are right to be a bigot because I am and I became the president of the United States of America.
Whether you voted for Trump because you are a racist or because you don’t think racism is a deal breaker, you are nonetheless complicit in his propagation of hate culture. You’ve contributed to his platform and emboldened his most passionate (violent) supporters, and for that you are responsible.
If you voted for Trump, reach out to your gay friends, your Muslim friends, your African American friends, your Latinx friends, and all your other friends that belong to marginalized and historically disenfranchised groups. Reach out to them and say “I’m sorry, but I’m here for you now.” Because all you can do now, aside from signing this petition, is reckon with the consequences of your actions and do your best to compensate. Because the hatred you have helped to legitimize is directly responsible for the more than 200 incidents that have been reported since Trump’s election. My campus has been subjected to contamination by racist propaganda, and yet I’m thankful. Thankful that papers urging white women to avoid black men were the extent of this. Thankful that they were papers and not people that would wish me harm. This violence and danger is real. And if you feel that those that fear this danger are irrational or unnecessarily dramatic, then you ought to keep it to yourself.
Don’t tell me to get over it, tell me how you’re going to help me get through it.
