Post-Election Reactions

How to begin….how to begin…processing the events of the past week? Everything feels surreal, as if all the rules of the universe have suddenly been proven false. Despite the close nature of the race, I somehow felt that in the end we would be celebrating the election of the first woman to our nation’s highest office. Instead I find myself reeling from the resulting Trump presidency. Even putting those two words together feels strange and uncomfortable..Trump….presidency…

I wanted to express my thoughts the day after the election, but found myself unable to get enough of a grip on my emotions to articulate anything intelligently. And as the days wore on, I found myself reading all the thoughtful Facebook posts of my friends, the majority of whom share my political leanings. Even within that group of generally like minded people, I found two very different approaches on how to react to the new “through the looking glass” world we find ourselves in. On one side, there are those who argue, that the electoral college is a farce that should be abolished and the majority of the popular vote should determine the result. They say we should protest and not meekly accept a racist misogynistic fear-mongering leader. On the other side, there are those who calmly state their disappointment in the result, but believe in the institutions of our democracy to temper Trump and feel we need to unite the divisiveness in our country.

I find myself torn between both positions. My fear and anger at the vitriol spewed by the candidate Trump didn't simply vanish because he is now the president elect. His character did not miraculously transform overnight into that of a respectful, compassionate, thoughtful, open-minded man. As word of his possible advisors is released, it becomes apparent that despite his 60 Minutes interview where he told his supporters to stop harassing minorities, he plans on surrounding himself with more bigoted advisors. I fear for all those who he and his supporters marginalized and attacked throughout the campaign - the LGBTQ community, the Muslim community, people of color, women and so many more. My grief and fear feel physical, like a hardened ball of dread sitting behind my chest. I want to rage and wail at the racism and hatred that has been legitimized by the president-elect’s victory, but yet there is the moderating voice inside me that wants to believe we will be ok, that we can survive the next 4 years by working together to understand the deep dissatisfaction and disenfranchisement half our citizens felt that led to this place we find ourselves. Though I want to be able to see the perspective of the other side who feel that their economic situation has been ignored, I cannot excuse prejudice and hatred toward people who may look, pray, and act differently than “normal” white America.

I know there are those who say we are overreacting but I think that unless you are a member of one of the groups that feel threatened, you have no right to direct or explain their feelings away. As an Indian American woman having lived in America for the past 41 years, I have to say this is the first time I am truly feeling wary of others’ gaze; questioning what people are really thinking and wondering whether they voted for Trump despite his failing to denounce his racist supporters. As The Daily Show’s Hassan Minaj pointed out, You may not personally 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.” Well, I want to declare right now, that I think we should all care about each other. We should speak up and support each other in the difficult times ahead. Let us not simply be tolerant, because tolerance implies the bare minimum of acceptance, but rather let us be active in our embrace of the differences that make our nation and culture great. Instead of reverting back to the tired metaphor of America as a melting pot where one loses all identifying characteristics, striving toward becoming a white Eurocentric image of a good citizen, we should adopt the salad bowl analogy where each person’s uniqueness is celebrated as adding a distinct flavor to the American culture. Retaining and celebrating our differences, whether it be racial, religious, or sexual is more important than ever. So, though I am still struggling with accepting the new reality we find ourselves in, I will cling to hope and have faith that “love trumps hate."