After what some say was the most vicious presidential race in history, there was bound to be some emotionally charged disagreement. Whatever the election results were, a large portion of the country was going to be disappointed, if not outraged. This was evident on Facebook after Obama’s victory.
Experiencing dissention, feeling disappointment, and voicing opinions are all appropriate and even encouraged reactions, but I was disappointed in what I saw on Facebook that night. Ignorant and offensive statuses filled my News Feed.
Statements ranged from “R.I.P America” and “…you just signed our country’s death wish,” to death and impeachment desires. Some users even opted for saying that they would be moving to another country.
Yes, emotions are definitely running high. But these inflammatory comments are inappropriate, offensive, and unpatriotic.
The Modesto Bee reports that a woman was fired from her job and reported to the Secret Service after posting about the president on Facebook. The update read, “And another 4 years of the (n—–). Maybe he will get assassinated this term..!!”
According to C-SPAN’s Campaign Hub election coverage, 61,680,412 people voted for Barack Obama, and 58,487,232 voted for Mitt Romney. Clearly, this was a close election in terms of the popular vote, with Obama defeating Romney by a mere three million votes. The amount of votes for each candidate, along with each candidate’s obvious devotion to our country, validates both Romney and Obama as legitimate choices for America.
While popular favor does not always ensure correctness, it is hard to imagine that sixty million people are stupid, ignorant, and uneducated. To make such assumptions about Obama supporters is unfair and unfounded. This goes for comments made against those who voted for Romney.
To assume that all Romney supporters are white, rich, and ultra-conservative is just as ignorant. These overgeneralized judgments are speaking to tens of millions of people and thus, cannot possibly be accurate.
Unfortunately, this habit of jumping to these oversimplified conclusions is abundant on social media. Facebook, Twitter, and other sites are filled with these offensive declarations. What happened to “United We Stand”? Whether you voted for Barack Obama or not, it is highly unlikely that he will “destroy” America. In fact, his election is representative of what has held America together for centuries — democracy.
The fact that all of the citizens of the country vote for the president and, more importantly, the fact that the winner is widely accepted are integral parts of this democracy. Obviously, the people that wrote these statuses aren’t actually moving to another country, but these insinuations defy the key American principle of democracy, or letting the fair winner assume the leadership position. Obama taking office is not, as some asserted, destroying America: it is, in fact, upholding its central values.
Now, during this difficult period in our country’s history, is not the time for ignorance. It is the time to band together, whether your candidate won or not. It is not the time to defame your opposition, but instead, it is the time to love your fellow Americans and to fight for unity.
If we all decide to take the high road and to work for our country’s success instead of toying around with ignorant and petty remarks, we could make a real difference. Now is the time to stand up. Now is the time to stand united.
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