It took a minute or two for reality to set in and even though the sentence “Trump is the US president” still sounds in my head like something smashing into panes of glass, it’s time to put in some work. (Yes, that sentence worried me too. Don’t worry, my brain didn’t break. I’m just angry.)
Now, I am not exactly sure what I can do as a Canadian but there has to be something, right? I’m highly skeptical of rallies and sit-ins (it’s part of the hang-over from my conservative upbringing and I hate the smell of patchouli) but thoughtful public awareness is a must. Engagement works too, naturally, but only if you’re able to keep a level head. More acrimony is definitely not the cure, no matter how tempting it might be to just start screaming at people… and there is plenty about which one could scream.
It’s hard not to criticize people who voted for Trump. It’s harder not to ask if all Trump supporters are bigots. I’ve asked myself that question several times since the election and I can’t honestly say no. I’d like to write something to the effect of “they most definitely aren’t all racists and sexists. Some of them just wanted change.”
I even tried writing that but I don’t believe it. It doesn’t add up.
If you voted for the new president-elect or support him in any way, you can’t hide behind “just because I voted for him doesn’t mean I believe in everything he says and does.” You just elected Donald Trump – a man who espouses his ignorance left and right – to the most prominent seat of elected power in the world. It’s not like you can now run away from that decision. You have to live with it for at least the next four years. Why not lean into the skid and be proud of yourself or, at the very least, be accountable for your action?
This is partially your fault, after all. Sure, there will be plenty of shaming coming from the left. (The left is good at the shaming but not so great at coming up with solutions. Case in point: Trump won.) But if you’re worried about shaming, you picked the wrong candidate my friends. Trump shamed anyone who disagreed with him and will continue to do so.
So please, stand up and explain yourself. Tell the rest of us why you voted the way you voted so we can try and fix a clearly broken system. Tell us what attracted you to a person so clearly inexperienced. Was it the fact he was running against a woman? Is it your distrust of anyone who isn’t a hardliner against Muslims, immigrants, or basically anyone who doesn’t look like you? Is it because you have no faith in the established system, so you figure, “what the heck, at least this guy is different?”
If you don’t feel like sharing, that’s your prerogative. But I guarantee you, with all certainty, Trump doesn’t care about you or your problems. He didn’t run because he wants to fix a broken country. He ran for the sake of vanity. He isn’t going to make America great. He is going to drive it straight into the ground and unless you help us learn how he can be stopped, he will get four more years behind the wheel.
It’s up to you.
I’m done now.