Many people are tired of reading articles about this election and I completely understand. This election has exhausted me, and this article is not to start yet another social media fight with distant relatives who do not have the same views about this election as I do. However, I did feel the need to write this, because even though many of my close friends and family members know how I feel, a majority of people do not. I have always been afraid of confrontation – I would get flustered, and even if I had great points and counterarguments in my head, my nerves constantly got the best of me. Yet this election was something I could not stay quiet about.
I come from a feminist family. There has always been a big misconception of what feminism is. It is not the belief that women are better than men, but the belief that we are all equal. My family consists of a lot of strong women, which I am grateful for. I have never had to look outside my own family to find amazing role models. My mother, my sisters, my stepmom, my grandmother, my aunts, my cousins – they have all inspired me in different ways and pushed me to be the best I can be. They have never let me settle or doubt my importance. Growing up, I got to watch these powerful women in my life succeed in every way imaginable – I had never been so motivated.
This is why I am still with Hillary Clinton.
Do not get me wrong – this is not just because Hillary is a woman. This is because Hillary exhibits a lot of the qualities I admire – strength, determination, open-mindedness, respect, bravery. Yes, she made mistakes, there is no denying that. I do not support every single action she has taken in her life, but I truly believe she is a woman I can look up to. In the 30 years of political experience, should it be expected for her not to make a mistake? Of course not. I feel that her mistakes showed a lapse in judgment, as opposed to Donald Trump, whose mistakes showed his true character.
Growing up in the family that I did, I have been unable to wrap my mind around the fact that so many people voted for a man so blatantly racist, misogynistic, homophobic and disrespectful. Trump ran his campaign on a platform of hate and discrimination, giving those hateful people in our country a voice . . . a loud voice. I was raised to view everyone as equal, no matter their race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation. If someone was nice to me, I liked them. I have never been able to understand how, in today’s society, discrimination is so prominent. This election, not even the outcome, but the entire election itself, has set our country back 50 years. I had foolishly believed that our country had progressed since the years of slavery. Some of you may be thinking that I am being dramatic, that Trump is not that bad. You are right to some respect – Trump alone is not that bad. He cannot undo all of our country’s progress by himself. He does not need to, though because, as proven these past few months, our country is a lot more discriminatory than I imagined.
It is obvious that I am upset about the outcome of this election. Hillary Clinton’s popular vote is approaching two million more than Donald Trump. While many might not agree with me, I feel as if the American people’s voice was not truly heard. In my opinion (and some will argue with me), the Electoral College is an outdated system. People claim it is to bring fairness to all states, that without it, the people in larger states will basically decide who becomes president . . . I do not believe that. With popular vote, every vote will have the same impact. If more people live in California and New York – if more people in our country are Democrats – than it only makes sense that the person they vote for becomes president. Everyone’s vote will still count, but if more people in our country want a candidate to be our Commander-in-Chief, that is who should be elected. That is my opinion, and people are welcome to think differently than I.
I am upset, yes, but my days of avoiding confrontation are over. I believe in Hillary, still, even though she lost the election – I believe in her view of equality and inclusiveness . . . And, yes, I believe it is definitely time for our first woman president. I will not sit by and let Trump’s backwards thinking become normal, because the truth is that I am privileged. If I choose to ignore this all, I most likely will not be affected. I will not ignore this, however. Watching my friends, distraught and frightened for their safety and rights – how can I sit back and accept this as normal? It is not. Maybe Trump will surprise me and learn to be a president for all the people. I hope that is the case, I really do. Yet if he is not, and if he runs his presidency like he ran his campaign, I will not sit back and do nothing. I will make my voice heard.
