I was crushed by the results of the election. I cried myself to sleep and could barely pull myself out of bed the next day. I have had a heavy heart and a constant feeling of nausea. You could say it is because I am a sore loser, or because I am terrified and unsure of the future, or maybe just because I am melodramatic. But as crushed as I was and still am, I was more affected and shocked by the reaction of Davidson, in particular, our administration, than by the election itself. Yes, I am (very) liberal, so Donald Trump being elected was not exactly the outcome I wanted. But above my personal political beliefs lie my beliefs in this country’s political system itself. I believe in democracy, which is what this country was built upon. Bipartisanship is so important. It is what has helped shape the United States into a world power. Bipartisanship also creates an inevitable dynamic where there will always be those who are happy and those who are unhappy. There will always be winners and losers. There will always be conservatives and liberals. This was not the outcome that half the country wanted, but the other half did vote and did want Donald Trump as our next president–and this is something that I think our school overlooked in the days following the election. It is one thing for students to push back on the results of the election–but the administration? They overlooked the views of those in our community who did vote Trump. Trump supporters might be the minority, but, ironically enough as liberals on this campus, standing up for the minority is a large part of what we believe in. Davidson may be a progressive and enlightened school, but that does not mean that everyone is liberal, and it certainly does not mean that we all think the same and believe in the same thoughts and concepts. It does not mean that every student wanted Hillary to win–so why do we assume that? Why were the celebratory balloons not dropped in the Union after the election came to a close? Why were classes canceled, even though some students were happy about the outcomes of the elections? Why were professors shooting down the results when they could easily have students who were content with the outcome–imagine how uncomfortable they felt in that moment. And to be clear–I am not defending Donald Trump and his bandwagon of supporters. I am defending their right to their beliefs and to vocalize those beliefs. Many of my peers, including myself, have found themselves angry and upset and confused when in reality this is how democracy works; this is how our country works through disagreement and conflict. So be angry, be upset–but do not assume, because Davidson is more complex and intellectual than that. If you do not agree with the outcome, then vocalize it in an intelligent and thought out manner, which we are all more than capable of doing. Discussion and debate is a beautiful way of mourning or celebrating the choice our country’s population has shown. Our country is split in two, and some may argue that so is our campus, which is where we must find what unites us (as cliché as that sounds). So for Americans–democracy is what unites us and what we must be grateful for. And for Davidson students–we all got into this impressive school, we all face academic strain, we are all smart, capable adults, so let us talk about our disagreements in a healthy, considerate fashion, because we are the future of this country. We are the ones who will be stepping up into key roles. How are we to perform without the support of each other?
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