If this election has taught us anything, it’s that U.S. citizens are exceptionally proficient at ripping each other apart. The proof? Check any social media. The strongest and most negative responses, for obvious reasons, have come from Clinton supporters, who have been cursing out Republicans, third-party voters and those who chose not to vote. And also Florida. While they have every freedom to do so, they’re not going to make anyone regret their choice of candidate.
All the lofty sentiments about getting out there and making your voice heard no matter who you plan to vote for are gone. Understandably frustrated, Hillary supporters are just looking for someone to crucify. To many of them, anyone who voted for Trump hates women and minorities and is patently uneducated to boot. The 2012 election of President Obama generated similar responses from Republicans, some on Twitter calling his supporters “pimps, whores and welfare brats,” according to ABC News.
What this tells us is that despite our lofty and inclusive rhetoric, we, the people, don’t truly believe that those who disagree with us are entitled to their own opinions and lifestyles. The party that claims to represent freedom for all often advocates the restriction of groups they feel threatened by, and the party that claims to represent diversity de-humanizes every group that doesn’t agree with them.
The truth is, the same system that elected Obama twice this year elected Trump. That’s America. The candidate with the most electoral votes wins. No Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr rant is going to change that. Donald Trump, barring some unforeseen event, will be the president of the United States beginning Jan. 20 for better or for worse. That’s the democratic republic outlined in the Constitution, and if U.S. citizens want it to continue to exist, they must accept that sometimes, perhaps often, the candidate they vote for will not win.
Admittedly, very little about this election has been easy to stomach, and the electorate hasn’t been immune. According to the New York Times, both Clinton and Trump had the worst favorable ratings of any Democratic or Republican nominee in decades. It was a difficult and unsavory choice, but Trump won and no one can recast a vote.
As satisfying as slamming the other side can be, it’s not going to bring about the change that Clinton voters desire. The United States faces four years with Trump and the newly elected legislatures. If either side is sincere about working with each other and promoting their platforms, then name-calling is the least effective way to accomplish that. If you tell a man you don’t know that because he voted for Trump he hates black people, don’t expect to change his mind. If you tell a woman who voted for a third-party candidate that voting third party is a sign of white privilege, don’t expect her to listen to you. Doubtless, Republican voters made similar accusations against Democrats during Obama’s election, but they didn’t accomplish anything either. Saying that Obama supporters are all immigrants who want handouts didn’t change any minds, and Obama was elected not once but twice.
Love does trump hate, but these election reactions have been anything but loving. You who tout the slogan must ask yourself whether it’s just a clever campaign platitude or something you actually believe. Do you want real change in your opposition’s views? Then find a better strategy.
And you who say you want to make America great again, who do you want to make it great for? Do you really want to make the U.S. great for all people? Then start trying to understand the other side and don’t taunt them with your win.
For both sides, responding with grace or refraining from responding may feel almost impossible. This election has shown that, as Hillary Clinton said in her concession speech, “Our nation is more deeply divided than we thought.” If all both sides want to do is yell, then that’s their constitutional right, but hateful and accusatory words are hardening people’s hearts, not changing them.
And please, for everyone’s sake, no violence. Both in real life and online, I’ve heard reports of violence and vandalism perpetrated by both sides of the political spectrum. It’s morally disgusting. You have the right to be angry, but you do not have the right to physically or materially hurt another person.
This is our country. We either find a way to live peacefully with one another or we don’t. It’s up to us.
