A Nightmare Realized
TPT Editor Priya Sarma reacts to Trump’s victory
By Priya Sarma
The Progressive Teen Analysis Editor
THIS IS A DIFFICULT PIECE FOR ME TO WRITE. I’m at a loss for words. It’s hard for me to express my sorrow in a cohesive manner. What I’m about to write comes completely from the heart. I’m going to allow emotion to overtake me and not rely on analysis or pragmatism. I never thought in my wildest dreams that Donald Trump would become the President of the United States.
As I write that Donald Trump is our President-elect, I am pinching myself to see whether I’m stuck in a bad dream. I’m unable to fathom the magnitude of this event. I kept checking the polls on 538, and I was reassured on Tuesday that Hillary Clinton would comfortably win the election. She had everything going for her. Upshot, the polling blog from NYT, said her chance of winning was 85%. I thought that I would celebrate the victory of the first female president of the United States. I thought I would see history being made. I never anticipated the history that was going to be made when Donald Trump became elected as the leader of our country.
Donald Trump’s election reveals a strong divide within our nation. He was successfully able to polarize the nation and reveal the sexism, bigotry, racism and xenophobia that subconsciously plagued the psyche of America. We are not willing to embrace change. We are not capable of progressing through modern times. For me, the slogan “Make America Great Again” is equivalent to “Make America White Again.” Under Obama’s presidency, our nation has been thriving and prospering. What do we need to make it great again? It’s this racist idea that our nation is supposed to be the land of white people. It’s this notion that America is impure and contaminated because we are a melting pot of different ethnicities, backgrounds and religions.
Diversity is not the downfall of the United States of America. It’s the unwillingness to accept diversity that will lead our nation to fall under the leadership of Trump. Diversity is the identity of this nation. We are a country built by the tears and sweat of immigrants. I am an Indian American woman. I am a tan-skinned woman; my skin color is definitely not white. I do not belong in the vision of Trump’s America. I’m the subset of another subset of a minority.
The damage of Trump’s election is irreparable. I feel physically sick, as though someone punched me in the stomach. I am fatigued, demoralized and scared for my future. I never thought a candidate who sexually assaulted women and targeted every minority would become President of the United States. It breaks my heart and brings me to tears to think that we are okay with women being punished and silenced for defending themselves. It hurts me to think that the immigrants of this nation fear for their safety and security.
Yes, the sun will rise tomorrow, but the pain that has been caused will not diminish. Trump’s presidency marks the beginning of a new era. We are going back in time and it’s sad to think that people are pleased with the outcome of this election.
Before I finish my thoughts, I want to take a moment and talk about Hillary Clinton. The election of Trump has overshadowed the work and dedication of this woman. Hillary Rodham Clinton is a true fighter. Every time she falls down, she gracefully bounces back. She put the biggest crack in the glass ceiling. I wanted to see her shatter that ceiling, I wanted to see Hillary Rodham Clinton as the first female president of the United States. Her life has been dedicated to public service and she has demonstrated her unwavering dedication to the cause of the people. It saddens me to no end to think that all this work did not lead her to the presidency. But we shall view her nomination as the pathway to opportunity for women. It’s hard for me to find hope in this situation. I feel like I’m stuck in an endless dark tunnel. But at the very end there’s an opening, and that opening is 2020. We will bring back the true ideals of the United States that year.
