Reaction to the Election

Election Night 2016 was one of history’s most shocking moments. Many people thought Donald Trump couldn’t win the Presidency.

But he did.

And many Hillary supporters did not hesitate to fight back with efforts ranging from protests to blog posts. The reaction became very prevalent in TBLS.

“We are all trying to process this, together,” every teacher told us. Every class had discussions about the election. The week after, signs were posted all across the school.

“The key is to enjoy your life because they don’t want you to,” one sign read.

Seeing this, I began to question whether this was beneficial. Who are “they”? What would’ve happened if Hillary had won?

This reaction to Trump’s victory was not beneficial. It shut down real discussion about the election. A sign saying that people have fear in their community—regardless of how true that may be—made students partial to Trump not speak their mind because they didn’t want to cause fear.

How do I know this reaction was directed at Trump and his supporters? Well, for one, my teachers—many of whom supported Bernie and Hillary—just blatantly admitted it. Secondly, all the news channels tell us that Trump caused widespread fear in communities.

So who are “they”? “They” are Trump supporters. And signs that say that “they” don’t want you to enjoy your life are counter-productive.

Free discussion leads to compromise, resolution, peace, and unity. If we make accusations our fellow students, then compromise, resolution, peace, and unity cannot emerge.

I did not support Trump, Hillary, or Bernie. I am not with the alt-right. I supported nobody because I didn’t like any candidate. I write as someone believing in free speech and thought, who wants equal voice for everyone.