It’s your job now.
If you live here in the US — or anywhere else, really — you’ve probably heard something about this whole “election” thing. If you’re with the majority of the country (or the world), you’re a bit… disappointed with the results. Okay, disappointed is an understatement. Enraged? Disgusted? Depressed? Yeah, that’s better.
Unless you managed to hide out in some peaceful corner of the wilderness, you heard some pretty nasty stuff coming from our president-elect’s mouth, and that goes for supporters and opposers alike. We all heard the same words. We heard him call Mexicans rapists and drug dealers. We heard him claim that being famous allows him to grab any women he pleases “by the pussy.” We watched him flail his arms and mock a disabled reporter. It is how we reacted to this that sets us apart.
Some of us saw the hatred in these words, and the impact that they had on the groups of people at whom they were directed. Others, and I sincerely hope they are few in number, agreed with them and found them funny or amusing, shoveling coal into the furnace and stoking the fires of intolerance. Many, however, ignored these words. While they, themselves, might not be racist, homophobic, ableist, and misogynistic, they still turned and looked the other way, either choosing to ignore this hate, or deciding that their desire for the policies that Donald was promising outweighed these hateful traits and rejection of human diversity. This group may not have been dumping kindling into the fire, but they still let it burn.
The problem with this hateful rhetoric is that it not only made those who were targeted feel unwelcome in their own country, it inspired violence from the supporters of the man spewing these comments — the fire stokers, if you will. These are the racists, the homophobes, the ableists, the sexists, and the bigots. As a result of their candidate winning the election, they now feel that they can do as they wish, which includes harassing these minorities. Hate crimes are on the rise. Muslims are being accosted and harassed, having their hijabs ripped off and their property damaged. People of color are being told “go back to where you came from.” Immigrants are being told with glee that they will soon be deported. Members of the LGBT+ community are being beaten and having slurs shouted in their faces. Even women, though not a minority, are suffering harassment and sexual assault because “my president did that, so now I can too.” Donald’s hatred has spread, and it is a dangerous thing for Muslims, POC, people with disabilities, immigrants, the LGBT+ community, latinxs, and women — really anyone who is not a straight white cisgender male.
And that’s why we all need to step up. In the past, the government has — albeit not always flawlessly — protected these groups from hate crimes. Under Donald’s presidency, protections for these groups will go down, and hate crimes will only rise. That’s really not a great combination. It will become the job of every citizen to look out for one another, because the government no longer will.
Remember back in elementary school when you would go out onto the playground for recess and do your own thing while the teachers watched over you to make sure no one fell off a swing or tried to pick a fight? America is like that — or was. If one kid started to push someone else around, the teacher would see it, and the bully would get in trouble. The teacher was there to keep the bullies in check, and even just the fact that the teacher was there, watching, was enough to deter most of the bullies in the first place. Now the teachers are gone. The bullies feel no threat of being caught, so they do as they please. When they start to pick on another kid, there is no one to intervene. This is why you have to take on the teacher’s role; you have to stand up for those that get picked on and targeted by the bullies, and you have to get others to stand up with you.
It is now your job to watch. It is your job to combat harassment. It is your job to sit next to the Muslim woman on the bus when the other passengers are targeting her. It is your job to walk with the woman who is walking home alone at night. It is your job to stop the people beating a man because he is Mexican or black. It is your job to confront those who shout slurs at two men walking through the park holding hands. It is your job to stop the mockery of those who are disabled. It is your job to stop the people harassing someone who is transgender for using the bathroom of their choice. It is your job to do these things because it is their job to be equally vigilant when you are the one in danger. It is now our job to speak out against hatred.
