Dear Friends and Family:
It has been a long year. Primaries. Conventions. Debates. “Scandals.” Polls. Voting. And now, finally, the election is over. Donald Trump is president elect. The Republicans now control all the branches government. The conservatives must be excited.
But, conservatives, while you are elated for the “change” you seek, we hear your anger, your indifference, your loss of patience for us loud and clear.
You see, you’re elation scares many people. From the blue collar worker to the professor. Your choice of candidate seems like a nightmare we can’t awaken from. But, there’s a few things you don’t or won’t understand. But, pull up a chair and grab a drink, I’ll try to break it down for you as simply as possible.
First, it really, really doesn’t have to do with who lost or who won. If the president elect had been any of the other GOP candidates from the primaries, there wouldn’t be this fear and uprising. You know why? Because the other GOP candidates wouldn’t have said/done things that make American citizens feel uncomfortable in their own skin and country. Just look at how many Republicans turned away or condemned the comments he made this past year. That’s pretty historic in itself.
The pain and fear has A LOT to do with Mr. Trumps rhetoric and platform on and off the campaign stage regarding women, LGBT rights, religions other than Christianity, disabled people, and fanning the flames of racial hate. Whether he said these things in jest or to energize his base is irrelevant. Just the fact that he had the gall to say it in a public forum is horrifying.
The United States is a very scary, uncertain place for many people who are not a “white, straight, Christian natural born American MAN”. It’s scary when you realize that half of the country voted for a man who has expressed views of exclusiveness. Did you knowingly vote for someone that touted such discrimination, or were you just blinded by the glimmering shine of “change”?
STOP telling us to quit “crying”, “complaining”, “bitching”, “being a sore loser.” As Americans it is our right under the Constitution to practice our 1st Amendment rights. Regardless if you like it or not, you cannot stop people from exercising this right. If you can’t understand this, you are part of the problem.
You want to help us? START understanding that people are concerned (even if they don’t vocalize it). STOP discounting their feelings. STOP mocking their fears. START exercising empathy. DO remember that the United States Declaration of Independence gives all Americans have the unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. DO let them know you’ll fight to ensure their rights won’t be taken away. DO fight for inclusiveness of all. DO continue to love them. But above all else, DO understand it will take time for people to move forward as long as they feel hated.
I hope this helps you to understand a little better. We are all wading through uncharted territory in America. But, at the end of the day we are all Americans. Let’s figure out a way to move forward, together.
