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.
I am not a Nazi. I am not a fascist. I am not a homophobe. I am not a racist. I am not an Islamophobe. I am not a target. I am not deserving of the treatment I have received because of my choice to support my party.
On Tuesday morning I exercised my civil duty to vote. While many of my peers were confident in the candidate they were voting for, I was not. Receiving my ballot was like being handed an SAT, except there was no option to retake it in a month.
I sat at the cubicle staring at the ballot for several minutes before even considering making a mark on the sheet. I had done so much research on both candidates and tried my best to remain objective about the matter at hand, but I was conflicted. Should I vote for a professional, collected, and powerful woman whose proposals, for the most part, did not align with the values that I associate with the future of America? Or do I vote for a big-mouthed and often rude bully who is the face of the party where my values lie? This decision did not come down to a matter of candidates for me. In order to make the best decision, I had to strip the candidate’s name from the ballot and vote on the Republican party line.
As the night progressed, I watched tensions rise and become palpable, so I chose to keep my vote to myself. Not only was the word ‘Republican’ frowned upon more than the f-bomb, but I genuinely feared for my safety with the way in which students were talking about their reactions if Donald Trump were to be elected. When I woke the next morning, I knew exactly what had happened.
Between social media rants, protests on campus, and personal conversations, I had never experienced such hate ripple throughout campus. Accusations and labels were given to those who had voted for Trump. Those who were happy with the results were forced to keep quiet, and still remain in the silence. The things that were said about Trump supporters, Republicans, and Trump himself, were worse than some of the things that had come out of Trump’s mouth throughout his campaign.
That I was committing “an irredeemable act of hate and ignorance” was one of the many accusations I received. Others included that I am standing on the wrong side of history and being an anti-feminist. Peers who shared similar views were called Nazi’s, and a person even compared the events of Wednesday to being worse that 9/11.
The fact of the matter was that there was no “good” option. I am still a human. Our responsibility as humans is to love each other. The labeling needs to stop. I understand that Trump’s campaign has not promoted love and affection towards others, but that does not mean each and every person who voted for him shares the same values. As a young, female Republican, my job is to now fight for those who feel unsafe and reform the party. For an aggregate of reasons, my values most closely reflect those of the Republican party. However, the decision of placing my vote where I did was very difficult.
I will not stand for hate and I will fight for love. My promise to those who feel belittled, scared, upset, or unequal is to be there for you. Together we can make a change, but we cannot make that change through hate and ignorance. Be kind.