After the results of Trump’s 2016 presidential victory, America has become further divided. There are many people that are filled with excitement and who are hopeful for what the Republican President-elect will bring to office. Many others are fearful, for those exact reasons. They fear that “Trump’s America” will encourage hate, violence, and turmoil within the next four years. Those American’s could be correct, but it won’t be because of Trump. War will only occur because of us.
As a society, we must realize one thing. The “media” that we constantly blame, abuse, and attack for altering American’s perspectives on reality isn’t just made up of journalists and analysts on television. The “media” that we say is “biased toward the left or the right,” although sometimes true, consists of more than just print and broadcast. WE ARE THE MEDIA. Every single one of us that writes, shares, and posts on social media are contributing to “the media.”
Videos and images of violence, even unrelated to the election, are being shared and labeled with things like #TrumpsAmerica. When that video is shared by thousands of vulnerable and impressionable social media users, it becomes a prime contribution to “propaganda” against Trump. A simple, politically-fueled hashtag written on a video that had nothing to do with politics, is now aiding to the stigma that, “under Trump’s presidency, there will be chaos.” This does NOT have to be the outcome.
This is our America. I believe that each and every moral American wants the hate and anarchist behavior against Donald Trump to end. So I ask of my elders, my peers, and the younger generation to STOP selling the crime, the hate, and the violence on your media pages like you all LOVE it. Fact check yourselves! There are so many MORE fake, unreliable news outlets and articles on the Internet that can easily alter an entire society’s perspective.
Instead of being the reason for spreading the wildfire of hate in society, please do your research on the information that you see and start helping society. Crush the stories that are false, and encourage the facts to help Americans love again.