#LoveTrumpsHate: America’s Post-Election Reaction
On November 8, Donald Trump was pronounced President-elect of the United States of America even though Hilary Clinton won the popular vote, which some Americans felt undermined their vote.
Hours after Trump was pronounced the winner of the 2016 Election, dozens of anti-trump protests broke out in such places as California, New York, and Washington. Thousands of people took to the streets, some demonstrating their disapproval as others mourned Clinton’s loss.
While Trump is not yet in office, many people have began to feel the effects of a Trump presidency. Reports are on the rise of those that have been harassed, called names, and attacked as America becomes more polarized than ever.
Chicago was quick to follow the outcry, as activists organized an emergency protest at the Trump Tower on Nov. 9th. When I arrived, the crowd of protesters were trying to occupy the Wacker bridge near the tower while CPD, both foot patrol and mounted horsemen, created a barrier between the two.
“If Cubs can march, so can we!” the protesters proclaimed but the cops didn’t budge. After a series of “not my president” chants, the crowd turned around and took back to the streets, moving from Wabash and Lake to Michigan Ave. “Who’s streets? Our streets!”
It’s been a week since that night and most conversations that I’ve seen on my Facebook and Twitter feeds are either support for the protests or their disapproval. Many commenting on the flag burnings as “unpatriotic,” the destruction of property as “idiotic” and the violence that has been displayed by anti-trump protesters as only adding to the fire that is burning this country.
On the other hand, many have made it a goal to mute or push away all those who voted for Trump or see value in his platform. Many Americans have expressed through social media that they’re being targeted as bigots for being white supporters of Trump, feeling threatened by liberal counterparts.
Liberal American’s aren’t “upset” because the DNC screwed up and lost the election. They’re WORRIED because the man who won wants to have every Muslim registered for “extreme vetting”, has made fun of the mentally disabled, mocked veterans, wanted to deport 11 million immigrants and spoke openly about harassing women.
Most people aren’t “upset” that their candidate lost, they’re scared that the person who was elected won’t govern with them in mind. And what’s even more jarring is the people who have come out of the shadows under the possibility of a new “white” nation. As an example, the Ku Klux Klan is planning a parade in celebration of Trump’s election. Though Trump and the North Carolina GOP have condemned the KKK’s rally, it’s difficult to give him a break when his comments are what have sparked this interest.
Earlier this week, Trump named Steve Bannon his chief strategist. Bannon, former executive chairman of Breitbart, has taken heat for his strong association with the ATL-Right movement, a white nationalistic group with racially charged rhetoric, and as result so has Trump. Critics view the Bannon addition as one contradictory to Trumps mission of “making America great again.”
Instead of bickering over oversaturated misinformation and campaign promises, we can’t allow this presidency to polarize us.
“The most important thing in a functional society is a well-informed public. What we have now is not only uninformed but misinformed masses.” — Matt Masur, Huffington Post.
Whether or not you agree with what is happening in our country, social media can’t determine our nation’s politics. Deleting people from your Facebook doesn’t delete those people from existence, and rather than sweeping them under the rug we need to keep those bridges of communications open. Allow for new ideas, on both sides, to be examined and spoken about. We also need to be well-informed and use the tools we have before us to help share real news, not just headlines.
As for everyone who is taking to the streets, marching and calling for change. Understand that everything you do, everything you say as it pertains to any particular movement, is looked at under a microscope. Realize that if you decide to flip a cop car during a BLM march or start a fight at an anti-Trump protest, you are associating your actions with that movement, which then taints the efforts to maintain peaceful demonstrations. Don’t be ignorant, refuse to incite more hate. Remember the objective is to fight against hate, not succumb to it.
“We have to remember that we are actually all on one team… We are not Democrats first, we are not Republicans first, we are American’s first… We all want what’s best for this country.” — President Obama
We need to grow together. This is how we all can help. We need to stand up to the hate and treat it with love; no matter how difficult, no matter who you voted for. In a country so divided we need to learn to come together.
David A Moran is a Chicano writer, poet & essayist from the west side of Chicago.
