Looking into a Trump America: Liberty and Justice for Some
A few days post-election, the fears of many Americans have heightened to a level that make reality seem like a living nightmare. The reality is that Donald Trump is the president-elect. The reality is that people of color, Muslims, women, the LGBTQ community, and minorities in general, do not feel safe. Pre-Trump’s win of the presidency, the political climate was already at an uncomfortable boil. To deny the fact that Trump used his platform to fear-monger — words of blatant hate, racism, and bigotry — is simply fictitious.
Whether he catered to Americans frustrated economically due to job loss, or to Americans who are fed up with the system, Trump placed the blame of this nation’s shortcomings on disenfranchised peoples.
Using scapegoats to further a political agenda and to gain followers is a classic scheme that oppressive tyrants of the past and present use to climb the ladder of power. After all, it is extremely easy to place the faults unto those who are not the majority. Gaining political leverage and/or proper representation is a constant struggle for those who are marginalized.
Brutal acts of intolerance have always been one of many dark truths faced in our history. Further, hate crimes have risen exponentially post 9/11 against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim. The FBI released its annual report on Hate Crime Statistics, which indicated that attacks against Muslim-Americans have jumped 67%. Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims, a database to register Muslim-Americans, and the disgusting comment of targeting followers of the religion with “bullets dripped in pigs blood” have rallied up the most unstable of Americans in attacking those perceived to be Muslim. The constant dehumanization of the African-American community due to police brutality and wrongful imprisonment is a terrifying actuality. The threat to deport and break apart families of Central and South American descent is always in the spotlight, unjustly labeling the issue as an “immigration problem.” It is no surprise that Trump’s speech directly correlates with a reported 400 hate crimes just one week after he became the president-elect. These horrors that many American citizens face, in a country where society is told that all are equal and respected, have become an illusion of just that.
This new wave of bigotry, misogyny, and ignorance has already made its debut during the span of the 2016 presidential campaign. Now, awaiting Trump’s inauguration, Americans who have been verbally attacked by him or physically attacked by those who support him, do not know what to expect or how to brace themselves for more hate (which seems impossible but is highly likely). In fact, a series of multiple hate crimes has already occurred within 48 hours of Trump as the president-elect, in the name of his win. A plethora of Muslim women have been reported as being assaulted or having their hijabs violently ripped off. In addition, verbally abusive acts of hatred have risen, and children of immigrants (documented and undocumented) fear that they won’t ever see their parents again. On Wednesday, November 9th, a Medical School student at Rutgers University, a Muslim woman wearing the hijab, was walking on campus when a few white males proceeded to yell at her from across College Avenue, to take her “scarf off.”
Donald Trump is not the root of racism— that should go unsaid. However, Trump has become the new voice of reason for many Americans who did not have a modern-day influential figure like him to encourage their intolerance, until now. Minorities in America are not afraid of Donald Trump. They are afraid of those who live beside them, not knowing if their neighbors despise them because of their identity. Minorities in America are feeling uneasy because of those who have assembled behind him for the sole purpose of rallying against the rest of their American counterparts. The only basis we hold to peer into the window of a Trump presidency is his campaign (given the fact that he has never been a political figure before this election). Yes, we could hope for the best, but what we have been given has been a series of foul commentary and an extremely divisive “us vs. them” rhetoric.
As Mina Afayee suggested, finding a means to rally for the right reasons can be done through many unique outlets. She encourages getting the attention of your congressional representative “by sending letters and calling the district office” and “volunteering and donating to organizations fighting for the rights of our most vulnerable populations.”
America is almost entirely made up of immigrants and minorities. Unless you’re a Native, your roots trace elsewhere. The foundation of this land was built on the backs of those who came here from another nation, whether by force or by will. Yes, all Trump supporters may not carry feelings of animosity towards those who come from diverse backgrounds. However, voting for someone who enabled this toxicity — that those who don’t fit into the bracket of a white, straight Male are ruining America — is even worse. As Hasan Minhaj stated in a segment on “The Daily Show” after election day, “You personally may not be a racist, sexist xenophobe. But that comes with the package. So if you take that deal, what you’re telling me is, “Hey, man. I don’t hate you. I just don’t care about you.”
Electing Trump equates to electing a demagogue. This surpasses politics, as he clearly has no regard for basic civil rights and humanity.
