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In trying to remain true to my word, this past weekend, I
completed the arduous task of going through my facebook friends and refollowing
those I had intentionally unfollowed due to their political posts that I had
disagreed with. To be perfectly honest, this
was painful. And while I don’t derive a
great deal of pleasure from social media anymore in general, this made the
experience of scrolling through my feed quite uncomfortable. But, I have committed to live into this
discomfort and I made an effort to really read what was being shared or liked,
and here is what I’ve learned:
People who voted for Trump overwhelming appear to have done
so because they did not like Hillary and were afraid of what she would do while
in office. Oftentimes, this appeared to
have boiled down to abortion. And to be
honest, this rhetoric seems to make sense to me and if more people would openly
say this, I think it could help move the conversation forward. While I am most definitely pro-choice, I can
respect that for some people, the deal breaker is abortion. Voting your conscience on this issue is
something I can’t really argue. The idea
of Hillary appointing Supreme Court justices who could tip the scales of the
court to lean left was truly terrifying for some people. I can respect this. I disagree with it, but I can respect
it. I would encourage folks who voted
for Trump for these reasons to speak up.
To remind folks that they voted for a candidate who made them feel safe
in regards to issues that are fundamental to who they are as people, as
religious folks, etc. I think that could
do a lot to dispel the myth that the majority of folks who voted for Trump did
so because they agree with how he speaks.
This would have been the dialogue if any other republican candidate had
won, in my opinion.
People who voted for Trump think that the liberal folks are
being sore losers and need to get over it.
I’m sure it’s annoying to see people “bellyaching” over this
election. I was in Alabama when Obama
was first elected, and I remember thinking to myself “come on, folks, this is
not that big of a deal” as well as “you people are ruining it for me!” It’s a feeling that both sides of the coin
have occupied and I am definitely eating crow this time around. BUT.
People are scared. People are
sad. People are sick. You do not get to tell people how they are
going to react to something. As a
parent, I have to constantly remind myself to validate my son’s feelings even
when I think they are ridiculous. And
yes, they are ridiculous, and sometimes I have to encourage him to move beyond
his emotions, but that’s because I’m his parent. You are not the authority of anyone’s emotions
except yourselves (or maybe your toddler children). If you don’t like how people are reacting,
don’t watch. Remove yourself from the
equation. Engage with folks who are
responding “appropriately” if you really can’t handle it, but in the interest
of unifying a country, I’d encourage you to dig deeper. Ask someone that appears to be over-reacting
why they feel as strongly as they do. If
you provide a safe space to engage this conversation, I’m sure these people
will tell you. For me, I’m terrified for
myself, but moreso terrified for my friends who fall into any of the categories
that have been under attack throughout Trump’s campaign. Sure, he may not have done anything yet, but
as the great Maya Angelou has said: “When someone shows you who they are,
believe them the first time.” Trump has
a lot of work to do in regards to undoing that impression – and while there
have been glimmers of hope since last Tuesday, there have also been some
terrifying validations (i.e. appointing a white supremacist as his chief
strategist).
People who voted for Trump believe that the millennial generation
is weak and entitled – the precious snowflake generation. The idea of college aged kids needing to take
time off or requesting safe spaces on campus following the election being the
#1 point to confirm this. Now, I have to
tell you, this dialogue and this pejorative description of my generation is
really really annoying. Since most
people who are making this claim about the generation are baby boomers, let me
ask you to read this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gene-marks/this-is-why-the-baby-boom_b_4441735.html. If you’re not willing to, I get it, it is
really offensive to have your generation categorized in a negative way. So, hear me when I say – your feelings about
this generation are doing NOTHING to help the situation. And, in all honesty, many of the people
sharing these articles or making these claims are the very ones who raised the millennials
and shaped their worldviews. So, let’s
remind ourselves again that in the interest of unity, making fun of or
disrespecting an entire generation of people is not moving that forward. But
let me also speak to this “precious snowflake” stuff. I used to hate the term, but now I love
it. Why?
Because I think that is the most wonderful way to look at the
world. I was given the message over and over
again in my life that I am special and unique and valued and worthy of
respect. This message came to me from my
parents, my friends, my extended family, my school, and my church. I would say that I absolutely believe I am a
precious snowflake. But the beautiful
thing is – I see everyone else as one too.
That, my friends, is why this election is so painful to my
generation. We have been raised to be
empathetic and so watching our friends and family members feel pain and fear
and sadness has made us realize that they have been made to not feel precious. And it has profoundly shaken our worldview.
I’ll continue to live into this conversation, and would also
welcome additional conversation about any and all of these. I’m ready to listen if you are too.
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