The Time Trump Became Commander in Chief
It was hard to watch, to say the least.
As Erik Daniels, President of College Democrats, reflected upon it to me and my fellow members of College Democrats,
"Dear Members,
Last night was disappointing. I had to sit there and watch our identity go down the drain and felt as if there was nothing I could do. I know plenty of people who are fearful of their future now that Trump is the President-Elect. The “silent majority” that stood with him this election was one of the scariest realizations that I had experienced. One of the most unfortunate aspects of this election is that we all probably know people who didn’t vote because they thought their vote didn’t matter, or that the expectation that the citizens of the United States would make the correct decision , and those crucial votes could have changed everything. Despite how upset I am, I woke up this morning and the sun was still shining, and there were not mushroom clouds in the distance, and it made me realize that this is an opportunity for us to inspire young people to get involved with the political process so that we never make a mistake like this ever again. I know many of you have very strong feelings about this election and I would love to discuss it with you tomorrow night..."
By now I'm sure you can infer my beliefs on the resulting Presidency. Many people don't understand the emotional responses that so many Americans are having, but it is also extremely likely that those very people haven't experienced the increase in systematic and at times institutional racism and hate since his running; "the number of American extremist groups jumped 14% from 2014 — with nearly 1,900 active hate and “patriot” groups across the country...", NY Daily News Reports. These increases in hate in America as a whole have similarly been reflected in even the smallest of communities- such as ours at High Point University.
Now, although my previous statement may be true, I must add that High Point officials in the Office of Student Life and for the most part campus-wide, have taken notice of such effects and acted to try to mediate these strong feelings on both sides. Diversity discussions have taken place numerous times and even the first protest and "free-speech zone" in High Point University's history was allocated to students opposing when Donald Trump came to hold a campaign rally at the school. So, with all of this, I give my school kuddos for trying so hard to help, showing that most people here DO care, and for making a strong effort to prevent the violence and hate acts that have occurred in the greater America. However, obviously they are not present at all times to stop every hurtful remark, or every hateful demonstration on campus. A number of my non-white friends and myself included have witnessed or experienced this treatment (and most have come forward with it to officials, but even still, it cannot always be prevented, often just communicated and talked about and acted upon after the fact). Continuing, after the results aired, a number of non-white friends couldn't bring ourselves to go to class the next day, in fear of the increased likelihood of hate, and a few of my friends that did try to attend classes described such an overwhelming feeling of sadness that they posted on Snapchat telling people not to speak to them that day or ask them why they're crying- the simple fact was, they couldn't stop, and more largely, couldn't stop it (the hate he brings about that few seem to notice or care about considering the fact that the "silent majority" being in his favor was one of the only truths of the election and of his campaign). I called my mother that day of not attending class, and thinking back now, it was just as much a day of mourning just as it was a day of buffer, but I digress. Speaking to my mother on the phone, she'd told me how she couldn't bring herself to stop crying and how it even harder considering that she is the receptionist for a news station and not only has to watch two televisions with the news of Trump's winning, but had to take calls from individuals who often call the station ranting about their right-wing extremist views, those including but not being limited to racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic and otherwise hateful rhetoric. Needless to say, I sympathized and empathized with my mother and we had a moment of emotion on that sad phone call on that very sad day.
No one can really predict how this presidency will go, but only base their assumptions on what he's told us he will do. At any rate, America still being my country of residency, I truly hope Future-President Donald J. Trump carries this country productively and safely, peacefully and strongly into the next four years.
This video gives me some hope, and I believe that as Americans, all we can and should do at this point is hope for the best for President-elect Trump, that, and do everything in our power to never let our, or someone else's rights be jeopardized.
