Should Love Trump Political Differences?
Opinions are human. To look at something and decide whether or not you like it is a natural instinct to many of us. As per their simplicity, opinions can be applied in any sense, to any aspect of any object. One popular concept that people love having opinions about? Politics. With such an interesting political climate as of late, there have been many opinions thrown about. However, political opinions are not the same as any other opinion. If your friend prefers chocolate ice cream, but you’re more cookies and cream, you’ll probably still go out for ice cream this Saturday without fighting each other about your cold dessert preferences. Politics can be a different story. A difference in political opinion can lead to one party feeling completely attacked by the other. And when it comes to Trump, one’s opinion of him can be a close definition of what they stand for, and more specifically, who they stand for.
The questions are: should current politics be getting in the way of our relationships with others? Should we love everyone in spite of our political divisions? Is love the simple answer to conquering this hateful world? Considering the historical and present state of politics, one’s aversion to closely associating with those of differing views, might just be justified.
The power of politics lies not only within its ability to create and destroy friendships, but also to have control over the livelihood of humanity. It is a reality minorities face that they must depend upon politics to determine their treatment in the societies they live in. The 2016 presidential election was one to remember as Donald Trump’s candidacy, for many minorities, was a manifestation of bigotry and a continuation of thousands of years worth of condemnation and oppression. The leader of one the most powerful countries in the world is someone who embodies every aspect of privilege one can possess and handles it all with immense ignorance and irresponsibility. He stands on his pedestal and stomps on those who ironically, through systemic oppression, don’t have even an ounce of the power to fight back. He thinks of minorities as a threat whilst simultaneously painting them as caricatures of their stereotypes to justify his consistent mistreatment of them.
Trump’s America aligns closely with many of history’s worst moments. From the Muslim ban, the military trans ban, repealing DACA, and his hostility towards left wing media outlets- to name just some of his problematic presidential activity- Trump is creating a monster out of America. His consistent attempts at segregation emphasize a fascist attitude. It takes the country fifty years back to when segregation and discrimination was the norm. For minorities, who are already underrepresented and misrepresented in the media, defined by stereotypes, and systemically oppressed, Trump’s version of America rings closer to an Orwellian utopia than a progressive society.
The one thing scarier than a bigot in charge of one of the world’s most powerful countries? The people who got him there. To vote for someone like Trump, let alone the man himself, is a definition of your character. It is to spit in the faces of the average minority and say, “I could not care less for your well being; you are not human enough to me.” When one votes for Trump, they vote America fifty years back, to a place where society was built only for one type of person by the people the elite condemn. They are endorsing hatred. Voting for Trump is a revelation of who that person stands for; and they are not standing for minorities.
Certain views have the power to ruin lives; they sustain an ever living idea that minorities are less than. Some people’s views are the reason someone like Donald Trump is in a position to run America, one of the most powerful countries in the world. Who you choose to associate yourself with can say a lot about who you are. It’s not fair to those of us who are affected by intolerant political climates when the loudest message shot into the void is one that preaches love over hate, but glosses over the pain of minorities. Trump supporters used their power as the people of America in the democratic process to vote for someone with complete disrespect and disregard for the well-being of minorities and women. Even if they don’t agree with Trump’s intolerance and voted for him for another reason, any vote for him is to condone his harmful ideologies and put enough power in his hands to execute these atrocities. Trump supporters, like Trump, live with a constant disregard for the livelihoods of women and minorities.
Associating yourself with someone who supports Trump and/or has ideologies preaching intolerance, is not necessary. Do not feel pressured to keep intact relations with those who are ignorant of the struggles faced by minorities and vote into a power a man who is the new face of hate. Be strong, be angry, and be loud with your actions and words. This world does not need its minorities crushed by the weight of bigotry. It is not important to spare the feelings of someone who supports such a dangerous man in favour of “love”. No one is obligated to “sacrifice” their moral compass on account of treating everyone with kindness and spreading positivity. Anyone who is able to consciously support a man whose very foundation of governing has been built on hate, is not deserving of your time and kindness. Let your disassociation with them be a message loud and clear; you do not stand for bigotry. For as long as we continue to treat the enablers of this hateful constitution with kindness, we are trapping the oppressed into the confines of intolerance and telling these hateful supporters that their mindsets are acceptable. Make it loud and clear; those who support such fanatical governing cannot and will not be accepted. This is not an act of political discrimination; this is a condemnation of bigotry.