Disclaimer: This is an opinion article. The views written in this article do not reflect Her Campus UConn Chapter as a whole, but instead reflect the views of the individual author.
It’s no secret that the aftermath of this election has been truly upsetting for many Americans. Whether you voted for Clinton out of absolute resentment towards Donald Trump, are a Trump supporter receiving backlash for voting for a man many feel is completely unqualified to serve as our next president, or are someone who couldn’t bring themselves to vote for either candidate and instead contributed to the crashing of Canada’s immigration site on election day, times are in no way, shape, or form easy. For me, it’s not only because the candidate I voted for did not win, but more so because I’ve seen an ugly side of people unleashed across all platforms of social media. Since the election results were finalized Wednesday morning, news feeds across all social media accounts have been filled with people posting paragraphs, articles, and pictures all defending their opinions, as they should. Social media has quickly become the easiest way for people to exercise their freedom of speech.
However, news feeds across the country are quickly becoming the battlefield for our generation as people are getting more and more comfortable using hurtful language to get their points across, forgetting that other human beings are on the receiving end of these comments. I never realized how toxic politics could be until this year; the first time the majority of my friends on Facebook could vote. Yes, with every election, there are going to be disputes and people are going to defend their beliefs every chance they get. But when someone is so angry to the point that they are willing to sacrifice their close relationships with people who hold different opinions- people they’ve known for years, that’s taking it too far. That’s not what democracy is about. As American citizens, we each have an individual right to vote for the candidate that we believe to be the best fit for our country. And no other person has the right to tell you your opinion is wrong.
So arguing about these results isn’t going to change anything.
Politics aren’t supposed to be unanimous. They never have been, and never will be. So to all of the Clinton supporters who refuse to believe this is reality: we need to give Trump a chance. I understand why so many are hurt by all of the racist, sexist, and all around ridiculous things that Donald Trump has said (believe me, I am too), but hoping for his failure or assassination isn’t going to help our country without hurting it. Nor is accusing all of his supporters of being racist, sexist, awful people going to make them change their political views. It’s going to further divide our country. We need to believe in our democracy and even if Trump threatens to diminish or take away the things we find important, the only thing we can do is put our faith in the many other people in our government who share our values and hope they can offer some advocacy and protection. And to all of the people content with the election results; there’s no need to rub it in. Clearly there are many people across the country, and most likely people you care about, that this man has upset and offended, and saying I told you so isn’t going to comfort them in any way. It’s going to make you look cold and ignorant.
So let’s stop using social media to shoot each other down. As millennials, we have so much potential to use technology positively as a way to support and network with people to create the positive change we want to see in the future of this country.