Tag: Hillary Clinton

My Reaction to the Election

paris22Leave a comment

(Written the morning after the election, 6:40 am, November 9th, 2016)

Confused. Worried. Scared.

Those were the emotions I felt when I woke up this morning, and the first thing I did was google which candidate won the election.

I went to bed early last night and did not keep up with the polls out of fear and worry. When I first woke up, I was hopeful, I did not see any messages screaming in all caps that Donald Trump won. I thought, maybe Hillary pulled through. When the google results came up, it felt as though everything shifted. I started crying, yes, heavy, non-stop tears. My view of this whole country came tumbling down.

I never thought it would come to this, I never thought Trump would actually win. I had some faith in the people of America. Well, most of that faith is gone now.

Protests Against Trump Winning — Photo Credit: LA Times

I’m scared. For my rights, for my body’s rights, for the rights of women everywhere.

I’m scared. For the racial minorities that Trump targets, for their freedom and rights in this country.

I’m scared. For the future immigrants coming into this country, seeking solace from their own, to be denied and rejected, because of our new, intolerant president.

I’m scared. For all the people Donald Trump has promised to deport and keep out.

I’m scared. For the LGBT community. Mike Pence is now Vice President, he supports gay conversion therapy, and it has been announced that Trump will be an anti-LGBT president.

I’m scared. For anyone who is considered a minority, for anyone who is considered less than a person to Trump, for anyone who is judged or generalized by the color of their skin, their religion, where they come from, their gender, their sexuality, or anything else Donald Trump may view as “wrong” or “bad”.

With Donald Trump as President, this is not the “Land of the Free”, but the land of the oppressed.

The Polls are Rigged. No, Really. 

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“Donald Trump will never really get elected.” 

Looking around, I admit, it’s hard to imagine.

“77% of americans are women, are people of color, are gay, or are other minorities. He can’t win. He won’t.”(Read more here.)

And he wouldn’t, if they were all voting. But in communities of poverty, in communities where transportation is hard to obtain, in communities where lines are longer, in communities where instructions don’t make sense, voting is literally harder, and it’s not a coincidence.

Things like the new Photo ID requirements favor those who are wealthy- with passports and drivers licenses, and the money and time to find the proper paperwork, and the money for fees to get an ID. Although the requirement that citizens have a government issued idea isn’t new, the sudden backing of it is. Why limit how many eligible americans are able to participate in the elections? Because when 11% of the population does not have access to an ID, the overall voter turnout suffers.

Another example of the efforts to create an election where minorities voices are not behaved is the push to shut down early morning Sunday voting in some states where there is a prominent Black community, effectively targeting their religion and how they vote. (read more here)

Or, now that early voting has become popular in low-income and Black communities, it has become a target. Opportunities to register for early voting in communities of poverty are dwindling, at the push of scared politicians.
Maybe you’ve heard, in Texas, concealed carry permits are accepted, but state-issued student ID’s are not.

How about Voter Registration Laws, which both restrict and actively make registering to vote more difficult? 1 in 4 eligible americans are not registered to vote, and laws that make it hard not only to register but to stay registered are not helping.

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Photo Credit: i.huffpost.com

Americans, as a whole, have constructed a false sense of security for themselves, reassured by the idea of just how many people are against the election of Donald Trump, choosing to ignore the ways voting is becoming increasingly biased towards a certain “type” of voter. Do you know who voting is not difficult for? White people. Rich people. Republican people. In fact, voting is designed for the Trump supporters. For dedicated, passionate, privileged people.

It is not designed for Black people, or Hispanic people, or poor people. It is not designed for Hillary supporters.

The reality of President Trump has begun to sound far more possible.  

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Photo Credit: c0.nrostatic.com