Society does not function without flaws and democracy is often accompanied by disappointment. Over the past week our social media feeds have become overrun with vicious politically charged posts in response to the results of the 2016 Presidential election. These posts are an exhausting sign that this country does not stand together…yet. One post stood out to me in particular, even prior to the election. It was a link that demonstrated protestors burning the American flag. How heartbreaking that it has come to this? Many posts we have seen are hypocritcal, preaching for everyone to “stop the hate” yet verbally assaulting those who support Donald Trump. Contentious rhetoric and despair-inducing commentary only sets us farther back in our quest for unity.
Half of our country now lives in legitimate fear about their future in America. If you haven’t heard, the Canadian immigration website collapsed twice on election day due to hits from American citizens possibly considering migrating North; a very disturbing thought. Americans should not wish to run in fear or anger due to a change in leadership. It is disappointing that so many Americans feel this way after our forefathers fought for the freedom to have the right to vote for their leader and vowed to agree to abide by the decision of the majority.
The facebook statuses that continue to engulf our news feeds in hateful dialogue do not bring comfort to our friends, families, and peers. Posts with such tasteless disregard make some of us wonder, where is our dignity? Our angry outbursts are only increasing the societal divide.
If we want to see societal change, we must become that change. Our actions are where real change starts. We must stand together in this time as we lead each other past the fear of the unknown. The truth of the matter is that we CANNOT let election results determine how we treat one another. Cultural shifts are up to us, the society, not the elite few. Our supreme leaders do not control our emotions, how we view people of ethnicity different from our own, or how we treat those of the LGBT community. Just because Donald Trump does not appear to support gay marriage or the well-being of immigrants does not mean that it is suddenly acceptable to treat members of our community with disrespect.
The President does not dictate whether women receive respect. Men filled the Presidential position since the foundation of our country. Even if a woman won the United State’s presidential election this time around, equality of the sexes would not be instantly guaranteed. We have come so far. Keep in mind that this society will not suddenly retrograde now that a man has won the election for the 45th time. Cultural shifts takes generations to filter out.
Please do not fight hate with hate. Do not let the media control your outlook on our future. Do not allow your vision of tomorrow to be clouded by anger. Progression can only happen through unity. We must come together to protect one another and educate our future generations on our beliefs on how to carry our country into the future with dignity.