Dear America, I’m Terrified.
Call it being overdramatic, call it being ridiculous, call it whatever you want. It’s how I genuinely feel.
I’ve become so paranoid lately, that writing this post is my way of venting. So please, hear me out.
You can ask anyone who knows me. I am probably one of the most optimistic human beings you will ever meet, but I have been glued to news feeds trying to find any hope that my worst fears will not come true.
So why am I terrified?
(If you couldn’t guess from the banner image.)
I’m terrified because the past couple months I’ve felt like I am witnessing my country begin to crumble. There is a very real fear that my future, my fiancé’s future, my family’s future, my friend’s future is in jeopardy because there is a man who is trying to become the President of the United States who should not be.
On his agenda:
· Build a wall
· Keep Muslims out
· Preach transparency yet won’t practice it himself
· Consider stop-and-frisk as a useful tactic in preventing crime
…among other ideas.
A man who wants to be the “Leader of the Free World” wants to do all of the above.
Are you serious?!
Let’s be real for a second, folks. The reason I point out this man’s agenda isn’t to fact check or to dig into his history of outlandish remarks, but to criticize the character of this man, and the very nature in which he expresses his views. It is not intended to be about Republicans vs. Democrats (we all know the Democratic candidate has flaws herself).
I’ve never been a political individual. I couldn’t tell you the names of those who hold positions in the Senate, or the House of Representatives, and I don’t quite completely understand all the ins and outs of our political system. I was obviously excited about Obama because I think he embodied progress. He was evidence that this country can be forward thinking and embrace a black man as their leader. That’s who the President is after all right? The face of our nation. A representation of what our country stands for. A strong and smart leader.
I had always known that there was at least a (somewhat) competent adult running things.
Now I can’t tell if it’s because I’ve gotten older and can see how politics actually does affect my life, or if it’s that social media has blown this whole election out of control. One thing is for sure…
There is something wrong here.
The idea of a man who is obviously racist, obviously mistreats women, obviously a flawed businessman, and obviously can’t form complete sentences–leading this country scares the shit out of me. What scares me even more is that there are so many Americans that are so passionately on his side.
Americans want change. They want someone in charge that will mix up American politics, and I get it. I totally do. I don’t understand the struggle and can’t relate to a lot of the country. I was raised in southern California. Growing up I had a stay at home mom and a hard-working father who ran his own business.
Despite being Hispanic, I was never mistreated because of my race. Some of my friends have been a bit surprised when I told them what my ethnicity is. “You sound so white!” is what they would say. I haven’t felt massive financial struggles like a lot of Americans. I have been extremely fortunate to have a college education and land an amazing job after I graduated. I now live in San Francisco. One of the most progressive cities in the world.
Every day I see large groups of human beings walking and working together.
Men, women, black, white, Middle Eastern, Latino, Asian, gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender. All coexisting and working on things that will hopefully make the world a better place.
This is not what a lot of the country sees. My world scares a lot of folks. My world is so foreign to them that we might as well be living in different countries altogether. It’s so different to them, that this man and his insane ideas seem like the only way to “Make America Great Again.”
To make their America great again.
They want drastic change now and unfortunately, in their eyes, that change is Donald J. Trump.
That is how divided this country has become.
That is what this election has opened my eyes to.
That is why I am writing this post.
There is a man running for President who could destroy everything that this country stands for and fought for, and there are a lot of Americans who support that.
That is why I’m terrified.
The opinions and thoughts above are my own and do not reflect my employer, my colleagues, or anyone else for that matter. This is not meant to be political (although, inherently it is due to the topic), rather it’s meant to spark an open dialogue between us as individuals. Thank you for understanding that.
