Dear America,
Nov. 8, 2016 was a disgrace. Nov. 8 was the day millions of Americans willfully cast aside their decency as human beings to vote for arguably the most controversial, demagogic, egotistical man who has ever attempted to set foot in the White House. Unfortunately, to the utter dismay of the 59,727,805 people who cast their ballots for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, President-elect Donald Trump won.
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To the white people who voted for Trump, what were you thinking? The man you elected is just as elitist as any other politician already in Washington. He will not rid the government of its corruptness — he is just as corrupt as any politician there today. Trump’s economic plans will not create jobs for you or stimulate the economy. His plans to repeal Obamacare could strip more than 20 million Americans of affordable healthcare, including many poor white Americans. The man you elected is so controversial that many of you feel the need to defend your choice to vote for him, clarifying that you are not a racist, a bigot, sexist or homophobic. Yet on Nov. 8, you cast your ballot for a man who is all of the above.
To the women who voted for Trump, what were you thinking? The man you elected has been accused of sexual assault countless times. The man you voted for believes that is it okay for men to grab women, kiss women, rape women without their consent. Trump does not believe the wage gap is an issue and is content with women being paid 80 cents to every dollar he, a man, makes. Trump, as well as Vice President-elect Mike Pence, believes that the landmark Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade should be dealt with by pro-life justices, essentially meaning a woman’s right to an abortion would no longer be federally protected.
To the Latinos who voted for Trump, what were you thinking? The man you elected is blatantly racist. Trump has called for the building of a wall separating Latin America, specifically Mexico, from the United States. Why?
Trump said,“[Because] we have some bad hombres here and we’re going to get them out.”
Trump places all Latinos in two categories: drug lords or illegal immigrants, and refuses to open his eyes to the reality of the millions of successful, kind, educated Latino members of communities around the country. Trump repeatedly called for the revocation of the 14th amendment and birthright citizenship in order to remove illegal immigrants and their children from America.
To the African Americans who voted for Trump, what were you thinking? The man you elected believes that all African Americans live in the inner cities. He calls you uneducated, jobless and entangled in crime. Is this the America you want to live in? An America where the president sees only the negatives of an entire race? An America that ignores the millions of African Americans who are educated, middle class citizens that do not reside in a ghetto? America cannot be great again if entire races are subjected to stereotyping by their government.
To the Americans in the LGBTQ+ community who voted for Trump, what were you thinking? The man you elected and his vice president are homophobes. Trump wants to undo the monumental Supreme Court decision allowing for gay marriage, as he believes gay people do not deserve to have that right.
Pence has said gay couples mark a “societal collapse” and opposed a law that would prohibit discrimination against LBGTQ+ people in the workplace. Is this the America you want to live in? An America where you cannot marry who you love? An America whose President and Vice President want to change your sexual orientation? America cannot be great again if people do not have the freedom to love who they love.
And finally, to the Americans that voted third party, what were you thinking? The man you elected does not represent your views, otherwise you would have actively voted for him. You didn’t have to love either candidate, and you didn’t have to agree with 100 percent of their platforms. All you had to do was recognize that Clinton was by far the lesser of two evils.
Yes, Bernie Sanders may have been more up your ally, but the ‘Never Hillary’ mantra just bought a misogynistic, racist man his one-way ticket to the White House. Is this the America you want to live in? An America with a president who does not even come close to sharing the same values as you? An America whose two party system remains intact despite your feeble attempts to change it? America cannot be great again if its citizens throw temper tantrums when their ideal candidate is not endorsed by a major party, choosing instead to allow for a man like Trump to be elected.
For reasons still beyond comprehension, Nov. 8, 2016 was the day Americans decided to elect Trump to the presidency, and I have never been more terrified of what making America great again will mean these next four years.
Sincerely,
A concerned American
Aly Niehans ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in political science and international studies.
