I am done with the arguing. I am done with the judging. I am done with the judgements. I just want to be heard. And if you can have an honest open voice sharing your fears without tearing others down, I would love to hear you as well. Today a man was elected president. It is just one man. He doesn’t have that much power. Today the Republican Party took control of both the house and the senate. Once again… that is not very scary. It may not align with my beliefs but all voices deserve to be heard. America chose the next president. I’m not even scared of America as a whole. Many felt they were stuck between a rock and a hard place. They chose their way out and while I very believe they chose the worse option, I can’t fault them for voting for the candidate that mostly aligned with their beliefs, even if that was only in the area of abortion. So why am I afraid?
I am afraid of the extremists who were validated last night. I am afraid of the racists, the sexists, the sexual perpetrators, the bullies, the white supremacists, the extremists who last night were told that those beliefs were at minimum, able to be over looked, or to worse, were shared with America and supported by the president. I am not claiming that our future president is racist, sexist, bully, or sexual perpetrator. I am not a judge and I cannot convict. I can state that what he has chosen to say scared me. When he said that Muslims should be banned in this country and that Mexican immigrants were mostly rapists and thieves, it scared me. Regardless of his intentions he just validated anyone who believed that Muslims and Mexicans are bad or lesser people than the average person. He just paved the way for hate to be tolerated in Washington and in America.
One person can do a lot to change attitudes, especially while on the public stage. When he said that he could walk up to a woman and “grab her by the pussy” with not repercussions, he justified sexual perpetrators on a public platform. He paved the way for groping to become acceptable. He allowed rape culture to thrive. He allowed sexual assault to be even more tolerated in Washington and America. When he called Ted Cruz stupid and Hillary Clinton a nasty woman; he told children that bullying was ok. He made it clear that bullies win. That’s why I am afraid. I’m afraid because rape cases are already one of the least reported crimes and now even the president is denying claims of assault. I am afraid that now being groped on the subway won’t be seen as a crime and even more questions of “Well, what were you wearing?” will surface. I am afraid that Muslim houses of worship will be destroyed. I am afraid that even more people with darker skin will be stopped at airport security. I am afraid that walking at night will be even more dangerous as a slightly Arab, and LGBT, woman. I am afraid because we said it was ok to hate.
Donald Trump may be a good president. He may help reduce the deficit and make good business decisions. But by electing him we chose to let hate pass by with no consequences. I pray that you aren’t in one of those groups that has been targeted. If you don’t have to worry, praise God. But know that there are people less fortunate than you who are now afraid to leave the house at night because hate is not only tolerated now, but accepted.
Please have patience with us. We are scared because we have been threatened. You can disagree or argue but understand that we are people who have been threatened by a man and his polices. Worse than that man, is the America who said that his threats weren’t a problem.
The hate is seeping through and I'm terrified.
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