I am not racist. I am not homophobic. I am not sexist. I am not a misogynist. I am for free market. I am for stronger foreign policy. I am for small business. I am for my family. I am Republican.
With the results of the presidential election stirring up a vast amount of emotions, I think it is important to clarify something: just because I am Republican does not mean I am heartless. The point of this is not to debate political policies. It is to highlight what it felt like to be a Republican college student the day after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States.
On November 9th, I went to class and in every single one there was a somber attitude. Pre-lecture discussions were filled with phrases like “I am scared for our future”, “I am scared to be gay”, “How did this happen?”, and, by far the most bothersome, “People that voted for Trump are racist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic selfish red necks”. Even my professors opened class with the assumption that everyone was sad about the result of the election by saying things like, “let’s not talk about last night. Ever.” or “No class on Friday. I’m house hunting in Canada.”
Well, I was not sad. While I understand that many people found the result disheartening, I am happy that the Republican party is in office for the next four years. I am happy that trade and markets will once again be free. I am happy that we are going to attack terrorism more aggressively instead of being walked all over. I am happy that jobs will be brought back into the United States. I am happy that small business owners will finally be able to reap the benefits of hard work and dedication. I am happy that I voted in my first presidential election as a Republican.
With that said, I am not racist, sexist, misogynistic, or homophobic. My parents decided to raise my siblings and me closer to the city so that we did not grow up sheltered and ignorant of the diverse world around us. I have never once felt that I could not date or befriend someone because of their race, ethnicity, or gender identity. For that, I am forever grateful to my parents for the way they raised me.
The response to this election has made me, and many other college students who voted Republican, feel that we need to hide or downplay our satisfaction over our victory because of the fear that our opposing peers will label us. That is not right. The controversy surrounding both candidates during this election took voting based on character out of the question. In my opinion, neither candidate has outstanding character.
Silencing those who simply exercised their right to vote in our free nation violates the core principles for which our country stands. I am by no means saying that those who were not happy with the results of the election do not have the right to mourn. They absolutely do. However, I am saying that those who are content with the results should feel safe in expressing their joy and optimism for the future of this country without the fear of being ostracized.
I am a Republican. I still care. I am not heartless.
~Cassie Hewlett
Conservative Cassie 
I appreciate your bravery in posting this, as you said that expressing views like this could possibly earn you some backlash.
The rhetoric used in this election, on both sides, has been inflammatory. Deep down, city folks know that only some rural folks are racist, not all, the same way that rural folks know that only some city folks are elitist. That leaves an awful lot of folks between rural and city areas who have a shared humanity. Most of us want the same things, however that’s not a very engaging story for our media to tell at this time, and so we don’t hear it.
What we are hearing, though, after the recent election, is a slew of racial attacks on black and brown folks – muslim girls with their headscarfs pulled off, black women with weapons pulled on them, rampant use of the N word, all within the last 24 hours. So, even if you aren’t racist, one of your neighbors is. Someone you know is. And regardless of where it exists, the spirit of racism should be uprooted and removed, proactively. We need your help with this, Cassandra.
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Michael,
First of all, thank you for reading and commenting on my article. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to express your opinion in a respectful way. I can tell you that I have and will continue to be an active advocate against racism, sexism, homophobia, religious discrimination and any hate related acts. I agree with 100% that it vital that at the very least, we come together to fight for minority groups and make sure that everyone feel their voice is still heard.
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I am willing to bet that the behavior that the media is searching for in response to this election are the behaviors they will air to continue to show people that Trump is bad. I am a Native American female, I check two of the minority boxes that people would say I should vote for Hillary. Trump never sent me a letter to tell me that he needed some his voters to speak out in hate against others. I think that the poor behaviors seen, unfortunately have been happening for some time, and are now being highlighted to prove a point of view. Not all people who voted for Trump enthusiastically did. I don’t believe the rhetoric that today is Day 2 of Trump’s America because of those hateful things happening. President Obama is still the president, so if you want to say it happened on someone’s watch, it was his. But that’s not the point. The point is that we all have the choice to behave poorly or with respect. And we can only choose for ourselves how to act. You can’t legislate attitudes.
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Thank you very much for your thoughtful comment. That is extremely good insight and I hope that people continue to see your comment, take a step back, and think. If we continue to perpetuate this violence and hate, we are just as guilty. Thank you again.
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I commend your sentiments. Finding some common ground to build some unity is the only way to put American society back on track but I fear the damage was done long before the results of the election. The damage was done was when the republicans chose Trump as their representative to run for president. By doing so they emboldened the racist and hateful sensibilities of those that rallied around the rhetoric he used to drive them toward nominating him.
The longer he was able to run with that strategy the more those people were given a voice. Behaviours that we’re once considered too taboo by society to engage in were suddenly not just acceptable but encouraged.
I don’t identify as republican or democrat. I’d like to think that one can be fiscally conservative and not be an asshole and that you can be socially progressive and not believe that everyone is entitled to the same rewards regardless of effort.
The democrats losing the White House is on them. They obviously failed to connect with a lot of Americans (red and blue) but Donald Trump and his racist rhetoric being there is on the people that chose him as their candidate to represent them.
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Well I hate to break this to the world. But, black folks are racist, (some) all races contain racists. For whatever reason any American has to be racist, it wrong. Yes u may have that right but it’s still wrong. I myself have been the victim of racism. As I said before, I am a 62 yr old white lady. But I’m not really white because though my skin is pinkish, whitish, tanish, I’m part of many races. French, Irish, Black, Indian, and Italian. So I’m really just a mutt. Lol But I married black, (could have been many also) and have mixed children. They are 42, 37, and nearly 31. All have turned out great. All have beautiful families. Some of their kids appear white and some appear black. And I love every single one. But I’ve been around long enough to know for certain that people that are of a racist mind, really just don’t like people. Because in every race u will see people of different shades and sizes and hair color and hair texture. No 2 alike unless u are identical twins etc. I honestly believe that ANY form of racism from any body is really a form of insecurity within themselves. Sometimes what we hate in someone else,even folks of our race, is something we hate about ourselves. And with our new President, maybe u hate he’s wealthy, or honest, I think perhaps at time too honest, yet that’s his way I guess. So if u think only white folks are racist, u better look at it closer. I’m praying for all of us
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Prove the racism. Show me.
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Why should she have to prove anything? She says she was a victim of racism, then she was. The fact that she is a white lady and you don’t believe her because she is white is… is guess what? a form of racism! your questioning her based on her race!
rac·ism
ˈrāˌsizəm/
noun
noun: racism
the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.
“a program to combat racism”
synonyms:
racial discrimination, racialism, racial prejudice, xenophobia, chauvinism, bigotry, casteism
“Aborigines are the main victims of racism in Australia”
Last time I checked, the above mentioned definition of racism is not limited to any race. Its definition is not white people hating black people. Maybe you should go back and think about that.
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No white person can say ANYTHING derogatory even as a joke to ANY other race.
A white person cannot look a minority in the eye when meeting them for the first time, or its considered intimidation.
No white person can walk into a minority neighborhood without fear for their safety.
There are alliances like the NAACP or BET for white people. It’s forbidden because everyone screams racist.
How is that NOT Racism towards white people?
And no, I’m not racist. You said prove the racism.
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You forgot to mention the elderly white man beat up at the polls by a group of black teenagers. So yes racism exists from both sides. Can’t just lost off the incidents against blacks. To be fair, you have to state both sides if you are going to make a statement like that
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As are people you know. It’s not the Republicans out rioting and destroying others property, Terrorizing people simply for voting differently than they did. Degrading people, stirring up hatred and anger and fear of retaliation for utilizing their freedom of speech, freedom of expression and the right to vote.
So, even if you aren’t racist, one of your neighbors is. Someone you know is. And regardless of where it exists, the spirit of racism should be uprooted and removed, proactively. We need your help with this, Michael…. Or is it not racist/terrorism when it flows from the liberals to the Democrats?
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Totally agree. Thank you. There’s a lot to unpack there, but I’ll speak to the protesters as an example.
I wonder how the left as a whole would feel if folks demonstrated upon Hillary’s election. What would they say? My intuition tells me that they’d be calling the demonstrators racists.
We have a right to protest, but I honestly think the current protests were started a bit hastily. I don’t think we collectively asked ourselves, “what would a good response to this situation be?” I think folks jumped right into protesting. While protesting has its merits ( in this case letting the rest of the world know that, just in case he does something wacky, that we will not stand for it) I don’t think it’s the correct response.
I consider the protests and put myself in your seat (assuming you supported trump) and I’m disgusted. To me, it shows “the left truly doesn’t trust us” to decide whether something is good or bad. I’d hope that if he did something drastic, let’s say for instance, tries to put middle easterners in internment camps. I think it’s far-fetched, but makes a good example – it’s something we did to the japanese decades ago. I’d hope that if that happened, the sensible rural folks would join us in decrying that – buy why would they, when there isn’t a trust between us as people? I’m searching to find the language to tell folks that we’re a common people and that we’re more powerful when we work together.
I suspect your people are caring, and the people I associate with are definitely caring. If we can extend that caring to other people, to strangers, and teach others to do the same, I think we’ll start to see some change.
Also open to suggestions.
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There are more racists sexists and haters in NYC and la then in all of rural america
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Thank You for this post! I’m a True Libra ! I see Both Sides of this. Some People Will NOT let it go!!! I’m So Sick of All the Hateful Comments!!! Although I Did NOT vote for either, I’m Praying for Donald Trump to be Successful in Bringing Our GREAT Nation together!!!
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Thank you so much Virginia. I couldn’t agree with you more!
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And yet I just watched a video of a white man being pulled from his car on the street and beaten by a gang of black men (AND women) because he is a Trump supporter. It was brutal and the attackers were no better than animals. Where is all that love and tolerance the liberals keep harping on, that they’re SO afraid nobody is going to show them? I think what they really mean is “love and tolerance as long as it’s for US. The rest of you go screw yourselves.” It’s bullshit.
Racism works BOTH ways and for many reasons. And right now the only racial violence I’ve been witnessing has ALL come from supporters of the democratic party just ’cause they can’t pull up their big-boy-and-girl panties and behave like dignified adults in the face of not getting their own way.
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I disagree. I believe that there is no such thing as reverse racism. My best explanation for why I believe this comes from Jenn M. Jackson summarizing Aamer Rahman:
“In summary, because minority groups don’t have inter-generational privilege we can wield against whites (thereby limiting their possible wealth, educational, employment, and/or environmental outcomes), we really have no way of being racist against them. Racism requires power. Without it negative racial feelings might be discriminatory but they certainly aren’t racist. Any racial animus held by minority groups toward whites cannot be set apart on its own as an initial offense because we have already experienced centuries of targeted racial oppression from whites. So, the point of reverse racism is moot.”
I used to think that racism was a two way street until I learned more about the role that power plays. Anyone has the ability to be extremely prejudiced and discriminatory and express those feelings in violent and terrible ways, but I believe that in order for something to be considered racism you need to wield some element of power and privilege. This is VERY HARD to hear if you are white, but we need to stop being fragile about what African Americans have been telling us for generations.
Stormlight, my big girl panties are on, I’m a dignified adult, and I am choosing to take responsibility for the mistakes of the white community and to listen to African Americans when they share their stories and opinions.
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This is for Jen and her dissertation on “racism” and “privilege”.
Where is my privilege? What power do I have that I could theoretically levy on another? This idea that because my skin is white I’m part of some vast, unseen power structure is ridiculous and on par with conspiracy theories such as the illiminati. Such lunacy is a crutch – a racist crutch liberal academics have invented to give to people of color so that people of color can blame their own lot in life on something other than poor lifestyle choices.
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Wonder who the radicals are, paid actors from the George soros agenda? I am so looking forward to equal opportunity for everyone.
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One of my biggest pet peeves about the language of politics is the frequent lumping together of groups of people under broad terms. We toss around terms like “Republicans”, “Democrats”, “Conservatives”, “Liberals”, etc. and associate certain traits to all people under those labels. I am glad you used your voice to say who you are – that you are not the negative things that many are calling “Republican”. You are a human with a heart. You exercised your right to vote. That’s great! Whatever it means to be “Republican”, I believe that who you are as a person holds more weight. You are entitled to your beliefs, to your right to vote, your right to speak freely. That’s what our country was founded to foster and protect. There is too much hate circulating. Just like with any stereotype, there are some that fit the stereotypes and perpetuate them. But stereotypes are still assumptions we make about people before knowing them. And those are not fair. People are so much more than broad labels. We need to remember the individual humans behind these labels we throw around – the humans with whom we share the same DNA, emotions, capacities to do good or evil – because we are of the same family. Thank you for speaking out about who you are. I hope that we as our nation discusses, debates, and shares our thoughts about this next step in our country’s history, we can remember to look past the broad assumptions being perpetuated about people and remember that underneath is a human with a heart.
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girl you are dumb as shit
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Said the person dumb as shit.
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just why?
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Plenty people have felt safe. Safe enough to assault young Muslim girls in public, to deface and vandalized minority owned property with slurs, to threaten rape and death on those that Trump said weren’t deserving of the protections of our country. Be happy all you want, but don’t think for one second you’re going to get pity from anyone other than pasty, mayo-skinned girls and boys just like you. As far as the rest of us is concerned, you can shove your pity party up your cunt.
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You are perpetuating the same hate that you claim Trump has. There is no reason to be mean and attack me. I was not mean or did I attack anyone in my blog post. I simply expressed, in a non-aggressive way, how I felt. You have very right to do the same., but please realize that your opinions are much more likely to be heard and respected when they are not based on hateful attacks.
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Clearly not. If hateful attacks get someone into the White House and hired as Leader of the Free World, then clearly hate speech is the only thing people will listen to.
Sick of all the white folks giving their “boo hoo, everyone is being mean to me” when people who matter and who I care for have died and been hurt because of this trainwreck. Just because you “have black friends” or “dated a Latino once” doesn’t mean you’re not a bigot. You’re just a bigot who dares to hide behind a screen.
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These comments are hateful and crude…also nonproductive and frankly ignorant. A mirror would show you are echoing what you supposedly hate about Trump. And saddest of all-you don’t recognize it as being so.
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Thank you very much Lynn for your comment. I welcome differing viewpoints because I truly feel that we could all be more knowledgable. However, in order to have those civilized conversations people need to put the hurtful words aside and focus on explaining why they feel the way they feel. I really appreciate you pointing that out. Thank you for reading my article.
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This is a very ineffective way of getting a point across, if there even was one.
This girl’s just expressing her side of things and should be respected for it, just like I am respectfully saying this to you right now even though your comment is so utterly classless.
I am Latina who grew up in the projects. So don’t even pull that “you have white privileged so you don’t understand” stuff on me. Have some humility and respect for yourself and people around you. Nobody owes you anything. You get what you give.
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Someone get some sad violin music going for Sabre.
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Yes your anger speaks highly of your intellect.
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I was seriously considering your point of view…until the last vulgar sentence.
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If you didn’t like the post why bother responding? Sounds like you are the type that the media claim Mr. Trump is.
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You may support free trade, but Trump does not. He has threatened to pull the U.S. from NAFTA and to halt TPP talks. If you’re going to put this much effort into explaining why you support him, at least be informed on his stated policies.
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I am informed on his policies. He wants to pull the U.S from NAFTA because our agreements with NAFTA and other countries are disproportionately favored against us. Essentially, Trump wants to pull us from NAFTA so that we can hit the reset button and truly carry out free trade the way it was meant to be carried out.
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You are so right. Canada stated the day after our election they are willing to renegotiate with the United States on NAFTA. That’s what happens when other countries know you have a strong leader.
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If someone self identifies as catholic, is it appropriate for others to assume that person is pro-life? If someone is catholic and pro-choice, should they be offended if others assume they are pro-life? Like it or not, the leader of the Republican Party ran a campaign that included hateful messages directed toward many groups of Americans. As republicans, we are tied to trump’s words and actions. As the president elect, all Americans are now associated with this man. Anyone who supported/voted for him is intricately tied to him, warts and all.
If you don’t want people to assume you are a racist, speak out against racism. If you don’t want people to assume you are homophobic, acknowledge the acts of homophobia being carried out by trump supporters, condemn the actions and denounce the perpetrators. Make it clear to all who hear your voice and read your words where you stand.
Your article focuses on the hurtful feelings you have when people associate you with racism and homophobia. Do you feel you deserve more sympathy than the people who are currently the targets of racist and homophobic attacks by republicans and trump supporters? Rather than feel sorry for yourself, if you defend the people who are currently being bullied and express why you are proud to be a republican, no one will confuse you with a racist or homophobe.
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I did not write this blog post to make people feel sorry for me nor did I expect it to get this much attention. My intent was simply to put into words what I was having trouble verbally expressing to my classmates and friends who have different views than me. I purposefully did not talk about my specific policy views nor did I go in depth into social issues because that was not the intent of my article. You do not have to feel sorry for me, nor do I want you to. My post was written from a Republican point of view because there is a lack of discussion among Republican college students. However, the broader message of my post was that people of all beliefs and political affiliations should feel confident in exercising their rights, as Americans, to freely express how they feel without fear of social isolation. I am in no way saying that this has just happened to me. I am fully aware that it has happened to many people, to a greater extent, many of which are not Republican. So, like I said, my article was written from a Republican point of view because I felt that there were not enough people opening up and talking about it, but the broader message is one that people of all beliefs can relate to on some level.
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But what you clearly don’t understand is that while it is more than okay to have your own perspective and opinion, the reason why you feel so inclined to write this article is because you feel like you would be attacked or shamed for voting for Trump, because you are a republican and that’s what aligns with your views. However, a massive problem with your logic, is that in doing so, in voting for “free trade” and “small business” and whatever logos ideas you feel he supports, you are overlooking and enabling the blatant racism, misogyny, xenophobia and hate that got him into office. By simply stating “I am not heartless” doesn’t make it so. If you want to explain that you’re not heartless in voting for trump, then reach out to those people. But understand you just elected someone who chose a man as VP who wants to defund government support of HIV and AIDS, to put money into electrotherapy for gay conversion. There were Mexican kids the day after Trump’s election that were bullied in class, being told they’re getting deported, Muslims not wearing their religious garments out of fear, gay men being literally beat to death by trump supporters, highschool kids who put “Trump voters” over one water fountain and “fuck niggers” over another. THIS IS WHAT YOU VOTED FOR. You also voted for small business and free trade. But overlooking the fact that you voted for someone who has incited so much hate, makes you part of that hate. If you really want to say you’re not heartless, then stand with minorities and call out Trump for the warts he has. Put him into office of you want, but then fight the values that you disagree with. But unless you do stand in solidarity with people LITERALLY FEARING FOR THEIR LIVES, because you want better trade deals, then the truth of the matter is you are heartless. Because being a truly good person doesn’t involve not bullying and being hateful. Being a good person requires you stand with the bullied and the hated, and defend them.
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I did not vote for the people that have said those hateful things. Those are people who supported Trump. I do not support them. You may think that by supporting Trump, I supported them indirectly. I honestly don’t know how to respond to that other than acknowledging that it would be wrong to let the biased, extreme opinions of a small minority prevent me from voting for policies that I believe would further the future of our country. Furthermore, voting for Hillary would not have stopped the hate that was fueled through this election. If Hillary had won, the hate and violence would still be present. So you see, electing a different candidate would not stop the problem. In order to stop the problem, we as citizens need to come together, across party lines and stand up to those with hate in their hearts. It is up to us. No president, no matter how good their character will be able to combat racism, sexism, homophobia etc. We can implement all the laws in the world, but our government has no say in what is in people’s hearts. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the truth. And for that reason, I voted for the policies I believed in.
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Cassie, I’m sure there are many Republicans out there who feel the same way as you and I’m glad to hear your perspective on what’s been happening, but I think you guys (Republican) aren’t getting the real concern. It’s all well and good to say you aren’t homophobic or racist or against women rights but if the Trump government tries to take anything away from them, will you try to stop them? If they try to repeal marriage equality or deport Muslims or make abortions under any circumstances illegal, will you tell your Republican majority government that those decisions and feelings do not reflect your true beliefs or will you let it happen? That’s what people are worried about. That’s why people are saying he will set America back. If the majority of Republicans can honestly say they do not condone the reversal of those rights it would put a lot of minds at ease. And yes I know I mentioned abortion as though it were a good thing, that’s because it is and please don’t try to use religious rhetoric to discount it because I am not religious.
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I am not very religious, so my stance on abortion has no religious base. This may not be a very comforting answer, but I truly believe that Trump is going to be one of the most liberal Republican presidents we’ve had in office. As a voter, I did not take everything he said literally. Candidates have to run on a platform. Platform and politics are ugly. There’s no if, ands, or buts about it. That is not excusing things that Trump has said, just to be clear. I will continue to vote within my local government because that eventually becomes a voice for the federal government. I truly do not believe that marriage equality will be repealed. Do I think Obamacare will be? Yes, but I believe it is going to be replaced with healthcare that will still help people without the flaws of Obamacare. As far as what you mentioned and national security goes, I firmly believe that national security is a huge issue right now. Until we can properly screen those coming into our country, I do think we need to be more vigilant as to who we are allowing into our country. Those are my beliefs and while you may not agree with them, I hope that you can at least respect that I will continue to vote so that my voice is heard. I will also continue reading comments like yours so that I can become more educated on the concerns of many. Like I said, I do not expect everyone to share the same ideas as me. All I expect is respectful conversation so that everyone can gain more knowledge whether they agree or not.
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Expressing how you feel without being subject to social isolation is not a right granted to any American by the constitution. To use an extreme example, a college student can’t expect to walk onto their college campus, express that they feel that certain races are inferior to them and should therefore have different rules in place for them, declare that they are ok with rape, and then say that they are a nazi sympathizer and then somehow expect that the first amendment grants them the right to be welcomed and accepted by everyone they may have just offended. I agree that people should be able to discuss different political view points without being silenced or shunned, but like the first commentator said, the Republican Party has done much in recent years to make themselves appear that they are only for white america. If you are a republican that is against racism and homophobia and all the other crap that the GOP has willingly embraced, then you need to work to change the image of your party. Find other republicans that feel the same way you feel and encourage them to speak out and become the new face of the party. I understand your feelings may be hurt because you are being lumped in with all the bad apples, but simply saying “I’m not one of the bad ones and it hurts me that people think I am one of them” is not enough. Non hateful republicans need to come out and speak up against bigotry. If all you do is stay quiet and allow the hateful bigots to run the show just because you might agree with their financial policies, then you are being part of the problem.
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I fully understand what you are saying and I think you misunderstood my point. My point was not to say that people shouldn’t be upset or mad because I voted the way I did. Not at all. I am saying that we affect way more change if we encourage open discussions in a respectful way so that MORE opinions and beliefs can be heard. Also, I have said this multiple times, but I will say it again, I do actively speak out against racism, sexism, homophobia etc. You may think that I don’t/haven’t because I voted for Trump, but I have. What you and many others are failing to realize is that this blog post was NOT an end all, be all comment on what is right and what should be done. I simply expressed my feelings and the feelings so many others shared. If the intent of my post was to prove that I am not those things, then I would have done so. However, that was not its purpose in any way. The people I intended/thought would see my post were close friends and family…people that know me personally. Therefore, they know my character and they know me as an active citizen of this country so it was not necessary to “prove myself”.
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I am a Republican because I agree with the policies of smaller government, strong military, less taxes, job creation, less political correctness. I am thrilled Donald Trump won and I don’t care who knows it, but I’m retired. Left wing Socialists intimidate people and bulky them and tear things up if they don’t get their way. Well, I’m glad Donakd Teump stood up to them and gave it right back to them. He had the establishment against him too. He’s a strong man. Physically and emotionally.
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Hello Cassie, I don’t know you and impromise I’m Not trolling, I ran across your post and I am not labeling you, I would like you to understand things from a minority’s perspective. I would love your feedback
To those of you that voted for Trump:
I know not all of you are racist, or hateful people, many of you are goood friends of mine and honestly good hard working people that I admire and that were genuinely concerned with the future of our country and our economy. A lot of times when in civil conversation with you, you would ask ” what is so bad about trump, he wants to reduce the size of government, reduce taxes,, bring jobs back, and keep our country safe!” I totally understand you and I respect your concerns and in many ways agree, but I don’t think you understood us minorities. You didn’t see that this election was more than just about economic policy. You didn’t see the environment of hatred he was creating. You didn’t see past the jokes, You didn’t see it because you’re not me. Because you’re not a minority, because you’re not a person of color, because you’re not from another country, because you’re not someone who is impacted by hate and racism. You were surprised when we couldn’t see how bad Hillary was because of her email scandal, and her corruption well we were surprised that that was the only thing you could see. It’s not that we like Clinton or were ok with the scandal, it wasn’t that we didn’t care about our economy, the deplorable state of politics in Washington or about bringing jobs back. It was about the potential hate and division that it could unleash. We were choosing the lesser of two evils not because trump or Hillary are evil, but because the environment of hate that his campaign elected is. Many of you will never know what it’s like to feel discriminated against, what it’s like to stand in a store with your entire family as someone points out loud how you’re taking their jobs even though you’re not, how you shouldn’t be getting an American education because you’re not American and have no one stand up to defend you. Well I am American, I stood beside y’all and cried when 9/11 happened, I sang God bless America at school and church in solidarity. I stood beside y’all when our premiums
Were raised, I stood beside you when the Cubs won and cheered, I stood beside y’all as we sang the national anthem at every sporting event. I stood with y’all and for y’all, but you didn’t stand with me. I don’t hate y’all even though you supported trump, I don’t even hate trump, i hate that now it will be harder to feel like a real American, I hate that I will now doubt whether you’re my friend and treat me differently because I don’t look that Mexican or I because I “act white” and don’t act ghetto. I hate that now I have to see things like this post in the news and that people are being blatantly racist. It’s making me question wether Trumps election made people like this or just allowed people to finally express their hatred and disdain. My question to you is now this, do you accept me for who I am, do you respect my fellow minorities, will you stand with us as we face this wave of hatred and discrimination. Will you show us that you stand for liberty and justice for all? Will show me what it means to be American? I thought I knew when I excitedly took my citizenship vows last year but honestly, I don’t know anymore.
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Hi Juan. First of all, thank you for your insightful and respectful response. I have read everything you said and I do understand your frustration. While I cannot speak for all the people that voted for Trump, I can say tell you a little about my thought process during this election. First off, I made a pros and cons sheet for both candidates on my computer. I read about both candidates throughout the election from a variety of sources. I took notes and educated myself as much as I possibly could. Then, I analyzed how my family has been affected these last 8 years by current policies under the Obama administration and furthermore, I then analyzed both Hillary and Trump’s policy plans and how each would affect my family. I did not officially choose who I was voting for right up until I walked in to cast my ballot. I waited in line for 2 hours to vote and during that time, I read my notes over and over. I weighed the cost of voting for economic and foreign policy over social policy. While you and many others may not agree with what I chose to weight more heavily, I do hope that at the very least you understand that I did not make my decision lightly. Going forward, I will continue to use my voice to spread your feelings and the feelings that so many others share with you. I do hear you and I am listening to you. While we may have voted for different candidates, I can tell you that I still care about everything you and many others are feeling and I want to make it a point to use my voice as much as possible to share that. Thank you again for your kind and thoughtful post. Please do not lose all hope. There are people fighting for you.
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The comments on this thread are some of the most civil and cross platform that I have seen. I found your reply to this comment especially interesting because it is how I approach my voting decisions as well. Hillary and Donald have similar goals in some ways, to stamp down terrorism, to provide more jobs for Americans & create a path to success that doesn’t require a college education. They both wish to grow our economy. The way they wish to do these things is distinctly different so you must believe in Donald’s ‘way’ over Hillary’s ‘way’. But Donald has also clearly stated that he supports stop & frisk, a racist based, ineffective policing policy that puts African American’s lives at risk. It was tried in NYC and failed miserably. He bragged about sexually assaulting women and has said women need to be punished for having abortions. So in your ‘cons’ list, if you were being honest about your views & reality, those things needed to be listed. He said he was going to do those things so I don’t think it is fair for you to say that he probably won’t do the ‘bad’ things but will do all the ‘good’ things. You either have to take him at his word or not. So how did you line these items up in your pros & cons list? What was on your ‘pros’ list that overshadowed keeping African American’s safe by not putting forward a stop & frisk policy which he would like to do? What was on your list in the ‘pros’ section that overshadowed a person who said he liked to grab women by the pussy and that they would ‘let him do anything’. Whether or not he actually did those things is up for debate. I believe he did but even if you believe he didn’t, at a minimum you must admit that he seems to condone that behavior. For me, those were huge items on my cons list. They overshadowed a lot of things. They were more important.
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The fact that you weighed your pros and cons and personally determined that the culture of hate, discrimination and hostility was less important to you than policy decisions is deeply concerning. Determining your position based on how it would affect your own family is a valid way to vote, but it shows me that you value looking out for yourself more than speaking out in support of people who have been systematically marginalized and underrepresented.
Your choice was logical and made intelligently, but when it comes down to it, in voting for Trump, you supported his behaviors and actions just as much as you supported his policies, so while you can say you have love in your heart and that you don’t discriminate in the way Trump does, you just gave him a big thumbs-up, and told millions of people who are affected or will be affected by Trump’s promised policies that their treatment as human beings is not as important to you as economic policy.
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First, I would like to say that you are failing to recognize the large amount of underrepresented people in the middle and working class that did vote for Trump. Just as people voted for Hillary because they felt that she would recognize and solve their underrepresentation, I, and many others, voted for Trump because we saw him as best advocating for the underrepresented working and middle class. Obviously I know that not everyone in those classes voted for Trump, but likewise, I know that not all blacks and hispanics voted for Hillary, and in fact, a decent amount voted for Trump. (more than was expected)…Furthermore, I also think it is important to recognize the bias present in popular media as well as the fact that Trump did not endorse all groups that endorsed him. Meaning that he cannot control who supports him and why. That goes for all candidates. Just as Hillary and President Obama do not condone the liberals who are reacting with violence and hate, Trump does not condone it either. I do not agree with everything that Trump has said, but I think that an argument can be made for a lot of the points you have made. I respect your perspective and understand where you are coming from, however I saw things differently.
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I would like to remind people the Federal Government is in charge of ruling the Nation as a whole and defending the Nation. If you look at it in tiers the bottom is the individual, next up is the State Governments, then the Fed
Hillary would have been great for my personal economic situation but disaterous for the Nation. Also, the Clinton reign of terror had to end. We need to look beyond ourselves to the greater good and remember that our government is a sysyem of checks and balances so the President does not have absolute power.
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Trump got 12% of the Black male vote and 27% of the Hispanic vote, yet you say that he is a racist. He got 40% of the women’s vote, yet he is called sexist. This doesn’t compute according to your thesis, because you are projecting your own personal experience onto 50 million people.
Get over it. You can’t change your race or your family. You can change your attitude and your outlook on the future. Nobody but you is responsible for you or your success. I can assure you that the 50 million who voted for Trump are back at work, taking care of families, living their lives and having tragedies and successes just the same as you. And thank God that you live in a country that affords you a Constitution and the right of peaceful protest and the opportunity to succeed.
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Juan, at this point, the only thing that I am “seeing” is the hatred and violence from the non-Trump individuals. If your party is truly one of tolerance and peace then you have a very interesting way of showing it. I realize that not all democrats or liberals agree with what is going on with the protests, but it does reflect on you as well. I support Trump for the thing you indicated in your post, but also believe that if the media reported everything said and done on both sides, that Hillary would not look quite as lily white as you believe. Is Trump the perfect President? I don’t know, and neither do you. Only time will tell. We endured Obama for 7 1/2 years, mostly for the worst, but did not march in the streets, burn, loot, beat up people, kill cops, or anything else because we did not agree with his policies. So I would say that Trump at least deserves a chance to prove himself, he may surprise everyone, or not. The remedy is you have a vote in 4 years…
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I’m confused. Explain to me why anyone would vote for someone who degrades women and brags about how he can take his liberties with them. A man whose Make America Great Again slogan is based on the idea that America stopped being great when an African American became president. A man who feels that refugees who are Muslim should be banned from entering this country and that Muslims who do live in this country should be monitored. You had other choices out there who reflected your ideals. Romney, the Bush’s, Senator Graham and other republicans all took the high road. Why couldn’t you? You can either speak out against Racist, sexist, misogynist speech, speak out against those that do, or remain silent. Those that remain silent are just as bad as those proudly waving their hateful rhetoric. That Cassie is why everyone who didn’t vote for Trump lump those that did with being “heartless”. You don’t think that democrat’s want more jobs, appreciate the small business man and his hard work, fair trade and all things you assume that Trump is going to deliver?
Instead of defending your vote why don’t you speak out against the trump supporters who are pulling hijabs off of women or writing graffiti saying “Make America White Again”, or the beating of a gay man shouting “we got a new president you f-ing faggots”? This is the America that supports Donald Trump and I have every right to be frightened and if you have a heart you should too.
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I hear everything you are saying Jill, however I think it is important to acknowledge that there are a large amount of Republicans who do not have hate in their heart towards minority groups.
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Sadly today I saw a video of a group of young black people beating and yelling at a middle age man because he voted for the red party, for what reason in the world should an innocent man be attacked for such. The hate goes both ways, as the ignorance seems to be infectious.
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It doesn’t matter what you have in your heart. What matters is the example a President sets and the words he uses. He said some horrifying stuff that emboldened people who do have hate in their heart. This rheroric wasn’t even coded it was outright and direct hate. By looking past it and voting for him anyway you are responsible for enabling it and blood is on your hands. Period. That you can say you weighed the choice carefully and still opted to overlook the hate speaks volumes about you. If you don’t have hate in your heart towards minorities the way to acknowledge that was to not vote Trump. Voting for him is acceptance of that hate and that’s just not good enough.
I’ve read all of your responses too and you’re great at dodging the question so if you actually respond to this I will ask you directly how is it you think that looking past all of this and still voting for a man who’s spoken such direct hatred is okay? How can you possibly rectify that you don’t hate minorities. Your vote is your voice and you’ve voiced acceptance to every bit of this hatred and vitriol he’s said which does make you at least a little racist.
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Perfectly said! Great job expressing what a lot of us are feeling as Republcans!
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Cassie, although I am a declared Democrat I respect and appreciate your political views. I agree that businesses, professors, and advisors alike need to be mindful of assuming that everyone holds a similar view of the candidates. If one client, student, etc feels uncomfortable then it’s become inappropriate. To the same point, we need to respect and love one another as humans. So I stand with you, and all others who feel the same, against misogyny, bigotry, homophobia, and racism. This is our common ground. We care for one another.
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If you vote for a particular politician or political party, you are embracing their values and platform. If I stand by and watch a bully beat up on a defenseless person, I too am a bully. By you standing by and support a person who openly admits to sexually assaulting women, displays bigotry, mocks a handicapped person and preaches violence if he doesn’t get his way, you are no different than he or the political party that you support.
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John,
Are you saying that you align with a Party that burns, loot, kills cops, beats up innocent individuals during “peaceful protests?” Then you have actually defined yourself in your post, because what is going on is exactly that, “bullying” this that exercised their Constitutional rights to vote fro whomevr they want, just like you did. Pretty hypocritical to call names, and then support the very things that you find offensive.
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John,
You are failing to recognize and admit to the number of people within the Democratic party that have acted out in violence and hate. Both sides have done it and continue to do it. Neither side is innocent. At the end of the day, we have to stop placing blame and start moving forward. We are never all going to agree. That’s why we live in a democracy. However, when we stop pointing fingers and stop acting out of hate with violence, we can start to address the true issue: a lack of respect for the many different views, beliefs, values, and backgrounds that exist in this world
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Marc,
A political party isn’t doing those things. If an individual breaks the law, they should be prosecuted FULLY, regardless of their party affiliation or voting choice. In fact, the violence is a smack in the face to the ideal and history of peaceful protest in this country, which should be upsetting to people of all political parties.
The real issue is whether a person can support a political PLATFORM / CANDIDATE who has consistently espoused racist/misogynist/xenophobic/homophobic/autocratic messages, then claim they themselves are not any of those things. The platform is a set of policies and beliefs around which the candidate will govern the country…if you align with it, can you ignore that it is offensive and anti-American on so many levels?
I believe many Trump supporters assigned higher value to party platform “(“I want small government”), drain the swamp, and/or I hate Hillary, than to any of the concerns raised by a Trump presidency. They claim they aren’t racist/misogynist/ xenophobic/homophobic themselves but are surprised/outraged at the push back. Could the flack be because they seem to have prioritized policy over what some consider human rights and the fabric of freedom on which the nation was built?
Unfortunately, I also believe that out of the ~60 million people who voted for Trump, millions of them are actually racist, et al. Really racist. I truly, sadly believe that. They love the idea of banning religions and conversion therapy and the House Un-American Activities Committee. They are STILL posting pictures of Obama as a monkey. Not just a few…many. So don’t tell me racism and hate weren’t underlying drivers of this election. The feelings have always been there; we all underestimated to what extent. Trump gave them legitimacy and a voice.
Cassie- if you think Trump won’t do everything he said, I encourage you to keep up with your research. Study up on our history with the House Un-American Activities Committee. Read about Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani, and find statistics on stop and frisk policy. Read about Mike Pence, especially since he will have a larger role in running the government than perhaps any VP in history. And please….read about Steve Bannon and the alt right. Look very closely at what Brietbart became after 2012 when Bannon took over. Spend time on some alt right websites. I applaud your efforts to inform yourself. Please don’t stop being involved, and keep your eyes open to what may unfold. Don’t be afraid to change your mind.
I hope I am wrong.
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I agree with everything Marc has said. I am very concerned with the people that Trump is picking as his team. Their views and past actions are very scary. Trump, by his own admission, knows very little about what is required to serve as president. That he will rely on these people to advise him does not bode well for the decisions and actions he will take.
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So by supporting Clinton you are supporting a “pay to play” network? Suspicious deaths for those who dare to expose the things that she has done? You support taking the hard earned money from workers to provide for those who don’t want to work? You support that every worker is one medical problem away from bankruptcy? You support that a person can work their entire life to leave something to their kids but they got Alzheimers and had to be institutionalised and everything had to be liquidated and the money spent on nursing home care until they were broke and the government stepped to help with the bill? The Clinton reign of terror had to end and people who work hard should be able to leave their legacy to their kids and a person should not have to live in fear of bankruptcy if they get sick. A man in his early 50s just lost his life to cancer. With about $250,000 he could have lived to see his grandkids grow up. We now evaluate life in dollars instead of quality. I hope those things will change. By the way, the ban on Muslims is necessary for our Nations security while we fight ISIS who is trying to infiltrate our country. It is temporary and after ISIS is defeated, they can come and enjoy the American lifestyle.
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In college I was constantly told I took the place of a more deserving white person. In my job, I was called the company token. I grew up in an overly conservative small town where I am still the only person of color the majority of my former classmates ever knew. My wife is white, so I know both sides of the tracks. I also fear for the safety of my three kids. They will be targets.
He’s what you overlooked.
1. Donald Trump was endorsed by the KKK. He never renounced that endorsement. I have also not heard any republican I live next to or work with say anything against it.
2. David Duke is taking credit for bringing the white race to the ballot box. He will probably be given a cabinet post because of it.
3. After 8 years of hearing that the non-white president be call a Kenyon, a Muslim, not an American, and a nigger (many of these topics by the guy replacing him), I don’t trust Republicans to look out for me.
4. Republicans want non-whites to look past the hatred served up to the current President and his family (like asking when they moved in whether the building would still be called the “White” House), and expect us to ignore the things they constantly said about him.
I don’t believe in the tactics or message of black lives matter, but I do understand where it comes from. I also understand the fear whites have of dark skin. That comes from where I grew up and that my wife is white.
I noticed you said you weren’t racist, but you never denounced the racist endorsements the man you voted for received.
You can’t claim that and not be bothered by America’s first terrorist organization increasing its membership, and taking credit for making him the next president.
Until non-whites hear that then we won’t trust Republicans who claim they aren’t racist.
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People do hear your voice Matt. I am an educated (as the press would define me) white woman raised in the NW, I grew up with no racial thoughts whatsoever. With a very Christian grandmother that influenced me to treat others, as would want to be treated. Many years ago in my early 20’s my husband who was USAF was stationed in Montgomery AL. I was excited to start a new adventure. My first job in AL was as a bank teller. I loved it, my coworkers too! Yes Montgomery is a very diverse city full of rich history and there is a barrier of races. I will never forget the hurt I experienced when many black patrons would not come to me for their banking transactions. My supervisor actually had to escort some to my teller window and introduce me, reassuring them that I could take care of their banking needs. One black man agreed to step up, (to my huge relief) he gave his name and asked if he could call me Rach. I was so tickled and his smile reflect that as I said of course! We quickly became friends and I looked forward to our visits each Friday. Fortunately for me his coworkers all joined in and eventually they were all waiting in my teller line. I know this has nothing to do with the election but just to share what one felt being put on the opposite side in a unique situation. I love people and I choose my friends by what we have in common, and our intimate connections. Being a military family I have more diverse group of friends than many and I cherish every one for who they are as individuals. Sadly hatred is something most are raised with, my children have been raised the same as I and I am so proud of their kind hearts for their large group of diverse relationships. Prayers to you and your family, and prayers for our younger generations to figure this out, what a difference it would make for Americans, and the 🌎.
Rach
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I could not agree more with Matt Robinson. Cassie, if you do not agree with the racist endorsements and all the hate that has been perpetuated in Trump’s name, then you have to actually say it. Actually denounce it. If you don’t take a stand AGAINST racism, then I don’t think you can be upset when people assume you agree with it. I am having the same conversation with members of my family who supported Trump. I know they aren’t racist. But they need to come out against the racist things that are being said and done in the name of their candidate. None of you can stand by and be silent.
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I agree with you which is why I have not been silent about it. My blog was intended for my close friends and some family members, who voted differently than me. They know me, they know who I befriend, they know my character, and they know what I have done in terms of action to to denounce racism. Because of that, I did not feel the need to clarify that in what I wrote. I did not intend for my post to get this much attention, so you and many others are reading this, without knowing my character, and seeing this post as my “end all, be all opinion and legitimization of Trump”. It was never intended to be that…I had already had all of those in-depth conversations with my friends of opposing views so I did not find it necessary to clarify in a post that the same people would see (or so I thought). So, I see where you are coming from however please realize that I did not expect anyone but my friends and family to pay attention to what I had to write. It was a way for me to respectfully take pride in voting in my first presidential election.
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I understand what you’re saying Cassie, I’m just saying that since so many strangers ARE reading this, you do have an opportunity to actually show them that some Trump supporters dislike his endorsement by the KKK, etc.. Anyway, congratulations on voting in your first election. That is something you should be very proud of. And you are conducting a very respectful and open dialogue on here, and you should be proud of that as well.
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CNN reported Trump and his campaign denounced the KKK and the newspaper that supported him.
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THANK YOU!
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Well said.
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Cassie: I’m a middle-aged Independent. Thanks for communicating and articulating your feelings. It is clear to me and I would think to most readers that you are not a prejudice person and that you have thought about your reasons for supporting DJT.
But you must understand that DJT has a history of making inflammatory comments and stereotyping people based on their race, sex, looks, etc. More troubling, his candidacy was supported by Putin, White Supremacists, the KKK and other hate groups. Not once did the people hear DJT disavow these supporters, certainly not the way that he attacked the media and others who would deign to criticize him. Perhaps he figured a “vote is a vote” but it left many people wondering what his core values are. If he had just once said, “hate speech is unacceptable and that is not what this campaign is about,” a lot of liberals and centrists would have felt a lot better about his campaign and would now be a lot less worried about his presidency. Instead, my Twitter feed yesterday included pictures of KKK members gleefully dancing in North Carolina and swastikas being spray painted in Philadelphia.
Again, I have ZERO doubt that you are a reasonable and thoughhtful person…but DJT, through both his statements and at times through his silence, have given many Americans grave doubts about his feelings for people not like him.
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I think it is crucial to realize one thing that you have forgotten to mention– you are not one of the people who has to fear, I am guessing. Being a friend to blacks and gays is not the same as being a black or gay… and we have to respect that not everyone has the privilege that others do. So take it a step further and say “I will not sit idle and hope that my diverse friends are afraid. I am with you too”.
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Thank you for your insight Melissa. I do understand what you are suggesting and I completely agree. As I am replying to people’s comments, I have told them that my words are not empty and that I do plan to be an active citizen in fighting for the rights of those who are scared. I did not say that in my blog post because it was something I wrote purely to discuss how I was feeling after my classes. I did not intend for it to get this much attention, but I am very pleased that people like you are providing insightful comments and suggestions. I will definitely use your advice going forward. Thank you.
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Cassie,
My son is a college freshman as well and he too was verbally attacked in his first class the day after the election. He is also a collegiate football player and he loves everyone of his teammates, he would defend and stand up for everyone of them in an instant no matter their race, religion or belief. He/we are out to hurt, degrade, destroy any other humans, we too made a choice based on beliefs and hope for positive change for a country. There is certainly a lot of fear in America right now, and judgement on actions that have been proposed but have yet to be taken action upon or possibly not. Government can’t be changed overnight and neither can the feelings of hate and everything that comes with it. But as human beings we all have a challenge and the choice to do the right thing, and as small as one person may feel it truly starts from one… one person, one kind comment, one response with respect of others, one open heart, etc. We are imbedded with the words, actions of one person that shared love or kindness in spite of who we are or what we believe, as well as those that sling hatred. Your heart is in the right place, as is mine, my families and my sons as he was left having to defend himself in such unfortunate circumstances. My worry is not so much for what happens at the capitol because we have little control at this point, we can hope that the change will be positive and that it will benefit all Americans. I pray that Americans begin to unite, come together with strength and stop showing the world that we are in a stressed state, weak, vulnerable and broken.
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To Cassie and you all alike Racism is dead in America. I am not saying that there are not a few ( a very small minority) of people in our great county that formulate and make their decision strictly on ones race. As I read through these postings and experience with my children and many younger and not as young persons there is a distinct confusion between racism and many of peoples social peculiarities and imperfections, such as being insincere and having lack of compassion, understanding, care and love for someone others condition or predicament. There are many social and cultural divides that exist among Americans which is perceived by many that responded to this blog and others throughout our great Democratic Republic which is perceived to be racist and or some other ***ist. The perception of racism among people who do not understand you, your perspective, your culture, the way you chose to express yourself is not inherently racist.
I do not blame you but like my children many of you have been mislead and do not even understand the meaning of true racism one which existed in this country which was manifested it self with racism of the Jim Crow laws, white only drink fountains white only etc… Among many other great black Americans Martin Luther King confronted the unconstitutional inequities that existed in our society and won the war on the institutional racism. Many of you were taught and believe if you do not accept someone’s social, cultural, and or sexual choices that makes you an racist or some other type of ***ist. The diversification that we all seek in our great county is that all opinions and views can and should coexist. That is one of the fundamental principles of our great constitution the “pursuit of happiness” and the belief that all men (being men and women) are created equal and deserve to be treated equally and have equal say. Just because one does not feel, believe in the same social and cultural expressions as you do, does not make them a racist or some other ***ist. We are different people living among each other having significant different values and beliefs, having different life experiences and backgrounds, we will never think alike, but we each can share and learn from the wisdom and perspective each and everyone of us bring to the table which we call America.
In one of the postings Juan wondered what it meant to be an American and that he did not know if he felt like one. I tell you Juan if you voted and expressed your opinion you are a great
American and we should all rejoice and be proud of another presidential election was held and the United States and constitution still stands and sits on a hilltop among all other nations in the world as being the best. Is that not what we all want.
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Hello Cassandra.
Glenn Beck penned an op-ed this the New York Times this morning. He said something in his article that made perfect sense. To paraphrase, “Trump supporters took his words seriously, not literally. His opponents took him literally, not seriously.”
Trump’s economic policies appealed to me, but his savagery did not. ‘Savagery’ sounds harsh, doesn’t it? But that’s what he is. I know you can’t see it. But, take a moment, and view him through my eyes.
I was molested as a child and sexually assaulted in my teen years. You can imagine my shock that a man running for presidency not only degraded women verbally, but took liberties physically. If that wasn’t enough, he spoke sexually of his own daughter. His daughter. As if there is nothing sacred.
To add insult to injury, he made fun of handicaps. My 11-year-old son is non-verbal Autistic who makes unusual movements and sounds. Do you remember Trump’s hand gestures and sounds? Yeah, something like that.
You see, there isn’t an economic or foreign policy he could have possibly presented to me that would’ve encouraged me to compromise my principles and human decency. What kind of woman would I be if disregarded the feelings of rape survivors and voted for this man? What kind of mother would I be if I voted for a man who would make fun of my son if he had something to gain from it?
That said, should Trump supporters be allowed to rejoice in their victory? Absolutely. Should those who oppose be allowed to no longer respect those individuals? Again, absolutely.
I wouldn’t dream of silencing anyone. Everyone should be allowed to speak their feelings. But, like everything else in life, it comes with consequences. Every choice we make has a consequence. There are plenty of people that dislike me because I didn’t join the Trump train. And there are plenty that I no longer respect. It is what it is.
Thank you for posting your thoughts. Take care, Cassandra.
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Whatever your voting history, if you support all 10 of the amendments in the Bill of Rights, AND if you are willing and able to defend people who are being harassed or attacked for whatever group they belong to, consider wearing a safety pin on your shirt or lapel. Some people are justifiably worried about their safety Including actual and purported Trump supporters. http://www.vox.com/presidential-election/2016/11/10/13586322/trump-brexit-safety-pin
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Awesome. Congrats on being brave!
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Thank you for writing this. I am in almost the exact position, and your post put to words exactly how I feel.
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I hope that some of you who have replied to this post have the opportunity to read this, I’ve seen and experienced this thing called racism and sexism in different forms. As a child, I was bullied because of my skin color. I was teased and groped because I ‘bloomed’ early. I’ve seen five year old children hurl racial slurs at each other, they have heard the words black and white used to inflict pain and think that is the thing to say when they are angry. The reality is they are first cousins, the same race, and have neither African or European ancestry. I’ve been afraid to go to work because I was threatened with rape and murder because of my race. I know what it is to not even be interviewed for a job for which I am qualified because I don’t have the ‘right’ ancestry. I’ve experienced people who I think are my friends refer to others of my race in derogatory terms in front of me. I don’t know what it is to have a hajib snatched off, but I do know what it is like to receive a letter from an organization claiming to protect American freedoms that threatened my occupation if I participate in political speech in my place of employment. I know what it’s like to receive threatening phone calls and letters because I am a woman who holds a position that is traditionally reserved for men. I know what it’s like to have my sexual identity questioned because I’m single. My grandmother was the youngest of five children, her elder brothers and sisters dropped out of school because they were bullied horribly because of the nationalistic fury of the time against people of their presumed background. My grandmother was younger, she managed to get through the seventh grade before she had to quit school to go to work. I’m not sharing all this because I want pity, I’m sharing this because I want to point out the futility of presuming to know what someone else has experienced based on their race, education, sex, or religion. The sad reality is that none of us can ever experience what someone else has experienced, you can never know my pain, and I cannot know your pain. Prejudice literally means to ‘pre – judge’ someone because we think we know who they are based on what other people we have met or heard about are like. I think the important thing for people who treasure the freedoms we have as citizens of the United States of America is to realize that there are enemy powers who delight in seeing the turmoil and upheaval in our streets; Trump is flawed, so is Clinton, who knows if anything will change, but I would rather live here for the next four years in what peace we can find than experience the horrors that people in Syria, Yemen, North Korea, Nigeria, and Somalia are experiencing every day.
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Cassie, as a fellow Golden Ram. (yes, I watched you on FBN tonight) I prickle at being called all those things imputed to the basket of deplorables. I marched for civil rights in the 60’s, led the first demonstration on the West Chester University campus, was in Washington DC for MLK’s “I have a Dream” speach and I’m a Republican. I’m afraid to express my beliefs and feelings because, when I do, I get attacked. But then, I understand INDIVIDUAL freedom and believe it trumps the collectivists. Keep up the good work and thank you for saying what’s in my heart.
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Thank you so much for reading my blog post and also for watching me on Fox. I appreciate your support. I’m so glad that you can relate and share similar thoughts and feelings. Have a great weekend and thank you for your kind comment.
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Dear Cassie,
I want to thank you for what you wrote; I’ve been looking for someone like you to talk with about the election. I am definitely a left leaning American, and I agree that some of the posts above pointing fingers at you are not ways to help us grow together as a people. I’m trying to reach out to you in hopes that I can learn some new things and try to understand you, as a Trump voter. As I think you and I can both agree, this race was extremely close, and actually the losing candidate ended up having more votes in the end, so there is a (slim) majority of citizens who are definitely looking for answers as they try to understand Trump and his supporters. If it’s alright with you, I’d really like to not talk about Hillary since she will not be the president, and keep the focus on Trump.
I need you to know that as much as I’ve tried to listen to someone like Trump I find him 100% appalling (and I’m a really open and kind-hearted person) but he is not my president; I can’t find one thing he’s said that stands by my views and this is really troubling. I don’t say this out of disrespect for the position, but he is just about one of the last people I can think of ever entrusting to be in charge of anything, let alone president of the United States. As I said, I am a left leaning American, but this to me is not about party. I can line up with certain Republicans on some issues, and I’m a firm believer in compromise and inclusivity of ideas, but Trump to me is an entirely different story. Given that I’m sharing that, can you empathize with how that might make me or many Americans feel at this moment in time? We are not simply feeling as if we lost an election, many of us are frightened because the person who won has us feeling entirely unrepresented and scared out of our minds. You seem to be a well-rounded individual, and I’m thinking you can empathize 🙂
Why did I say scared out of our minds you may ask? Here’s my experience of Trump, no exaggeration, this is how I perceive him based off of my experience of listening and watching him: From being the first presidential candidate, and now the first president-elect to not release their tax records, to maybe even not paying taxes at all, to bragging about sexually assaulting women, to having businesses going bankrupt and not paying former workers of his, to trash talking individuals and groups of people that I am proud to share this country with (women, LGBTQ, Immigrants, Muslims and people of all faiths because that’s what this country was founded on, disabled people) to even his frequent episodes of cyber bullying via twitter and his inability to level with people and apologize about most of these things, I find him to be a human I simply do not respect. No way, no how can I seem to wrap my head around him being in charge of my country. As one of my friends stated, Billy Bush the other man present in the “grab ’em by the pussy” video was fired from the TODAY show because of that video, and Trump gets elected president? What kind of crazy double standard is that? The way I see it he has not been held accountable for some extremely demeaning actions, and then the country just went ahead and rewarded him with the biggest prize of all! As a woman, this makes me sick. As an American, this makes me sad. As a human, it breaks my heart. In no world is this kind of behavior okay in my book, and I can’t seem to reason with the fact that someone I feel this way about is now going to be making rules about my life, the lives of the people I love, and the country I call home.
To me, and the slim majority of Americans who didn’t vote for him it’s precisely these personal traits that were deal breakers for us. We could not overlook or see past them and see things like open markets, and all of the other things you wrote about in your post above. It was his racist rhetoric that tuned us out instinctively and immediately to his political agenda. We are feeling confused and hurt that our brothers and sisters that we share this beautiful country with could overlook these personality flaws and racist tendencies. To be honest, it’s confusing, dare I say hurtful. As a woman, I felt like I got slapped in the face by anyone who supported and condoned Trump’s behavior with their vote. I understand you wanted open markets and more security, but you also voted for racist, misogynistic, homophobic rhetoric…it was all a part of his package.
As one woman on twitter said, “What a privilege it must be to be able to look past a presidential candidate’s racism because it won’t ever effect you”. Just sit with that for a second.
Congratulations on your win, but do you understand that some of the things he’s suggesting mean that families may be torn apart? Young children who were brought here and know no other country as their home, are now running the risk of being separated from their families and sent to a foreign land they don’t know. It’s not their fault they are illegal here, their parents brought them here as young children or babies, and quite honestly I don’t blame them. If I lived in poverty in Mexico, I’d be searching for any and every way to get to a better life for myself and my children too. Am I siding with all immigrants? No, but the ones that are currently protected from deportation because they were brought here as infants/children are now having to face this reality. Can you imagine coming here as a baby, and now as a young adult being torn from your family and being sent to a third world country that you’ve never even been to for good?
That’s just one example of the groups of people he’s threatened over his campaign. Today my friend in Minnesota said in her child’s preschool there was a young student who yelled, “Trump hates women!” and then went up to all the women in his class touching them, and saying,
“he hates you”. Do you understand that your vote is in part connected to this behavior? When we condone a man who calls Mexicans rapists, when we condone someone who mocks the disabled, when we condone an individual who groups all Muslims in to one category or refers to all/most black people as living in the “ghetto”, and when we condone sexual assault…we make it acceptable for the masses. Have you noticed all of the hate crimes the past couple of days with Trump’s name attached to them? As a woman, I’m scared out of my mind that millions of boys and men now think they can be rewarded for the kind of behavior Trump has demonstrated, and it’s terrifying.
Do I think you’re a racist? I do not. But I would like to understand how you could simply overlook all of these things, I honestly would. That right there is what is creating such a divide right now, so some insight in to this would be helpful to know about. How did that experience go for you, how could you overlook his racist, misogynistic, homophobic, etc. values and still vote for him? I seek to know the answer.
Also, this may be a helpful read: https://medium.com/@jessicashortall/voted-for-trump-i-have-only-one-plea-7d5994c7a3d1#.7ifl33xjk
From one young woman to the next, love, peace, and reconciliation.
Best,
Jennifer
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Hi Jennifer. I have read your post and greatly appreciate everything you have to say. I would like to give a very thoughtful answer back to you, however I do not want your comment to get lost in all of the other comments. Would you mind emailing me through me at cassiehewlett.fit@gmail.com so that I can take the time to respond to you and your thoughts don’t get lost?
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Please, please reply to her comment publicly.
I’m a blogger. I know that comments can eat up your time like nothing else. I know sometimes one can’t answer everyone. But if you are going to answer her–what is there to lose by publishing it for the rest of us?
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I will publish is publicly, it’s just that I don’t want to forget to answer her and her comment to get lost in the sea of comments. I want her to email it to me so that I have it, can take the time to thoughtfully respond and then I will post it on here, as I have been doing with all of my longer responses.
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Okay, sounds great!
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I left for college in 1985 thinking I had it figured out and was a die hard proponent of my parents’ party, the Democrats. My roommate invited me to a college Repubs meeting where I heard the party platform for the firSt time, and left there realizing, “Oh my gosh. I’m a Republican!” They believed what I believed, and I had no clue prior to that what my true beliefs were, I just assumed the party of my parents and their parents. I wondered how I would break the news to my folks, but I couldn’t turn back again. I had to stand for my truth. My folks became conservatives and switched parties years later, because of the great leadership of Ronald Reagan and their transformation through Jesus Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit.
I’m so proud of you, Cassie. And I will be lifting you up in prayer. Keep standing for truth, and for your convictions. YOU are the change.
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Cassie, The bigger picture for many including myself is that this isn’t about politics. It’s not about democrats and republicans. It’s the message you’re sending to kids, to the country, to the world that this type of behavior is acceptable. That we have anti bullying campaigns and you elected a bully, that it’s ok to grab women by the.. And demean them, that’s it’s ok to hate… A lot of people. Hate should never be in our vocabulary. The other person with trump talking about women got fired yet we elected him to our highest office. And as a women I’m having the hardest time understanding how another women could support this man. When you align with hate, you’re considered hateful. So that’s what people are thinking when they look at you, you’re hateful and sexist, and racist…. You might separate the man and the politics but many of us don’t. It’s the message not the politics.
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I’m sure the “type of behavior” you find unacceptable is what I see on my TV of destruction of property because someone lost an election, isn’t it. I agree, it’s an horrible example for children and it’s bullying of the worst kind.
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Do you mean like the protests when Obama’s was elected? Or was it when the Republicans said they would make it their mission to not let him get anything accomplished? A lot of amnesia going on if you ask me. Before you jump to any conclusions, i did not vote for Obama. I am a Republican as well, but had the decency not to blindly follow my party in falling for the biggest con of all time. These people have a right to speak out against hatred. You say all Trump supporter are not racists…. well i would hope not. I am not sure you should get any extra points for that, it’s like saying people should get credit for not going to jail. Somethings should just be expected and not being a racist is one of them. But anyway, since they aren’t , then what a great opportunity for them to reach out to those who feel alienated by the Republican party and try to bridge the gap. Tell them you will help them, reassure LGBT that you do not support Mike Pences conversion camps. Tell the women you don’t approve of his legislation in Indiana that required women to bury the fetuses they aborted or MISCARRIED as early as 8 weeks. (Any woman who has had a miscarriage should be horrified at this, btw, pro life or not). Tell all the immigrants that are not rapists and murderers that you will not let them be deported if they are working and want to become citizens. Use your voice and your actions to reassure your fellow Americans that you do not support hate.
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I am not asking for “credit” for not being racist. I am not asking for credit in any way actually. Classmates of mine explicitly said in open class discussions that they viewed people that supported Trump in the election as racists, sexists, misogynists, etc. My post was a response to those words that were explicitly said. Some of which, were friends of mine. So no, I am not asking for credit for not being racist. No one should get credit for that. It should be a natural occurrence. However, it is not. Also, because the purpose of my blog post was not to prove my position or prove myself, I did not include things that I have done/will do as an active citizen to combat racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. So before assuming that I am just someone speaking without action, take the time to ask me what I plan to do to separate myself from the people that ARE racists, misogynists, sexists.
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Amnesia? No, like you, many have selective memories. I don’t consider the things you find when you Google “protest when Obama elected” really protests. As opposed to what my son witnessed in DC in the days following inauguration (riots, auto, building and other property destruction with hooded thugs threatening everybody who came near), most protest consited of signs like the one at Baylor. There is no proof it was like the “protesters at Trump rallies” who were paid by Media Matters and George Soros. These event persist to this day!
And another case of selective amnesia: Obama came to office with a SUPER MAJORITY IN CONGRESS. He couldn’t be stopped from doing ANYTHING. As to reaching out to those who are alienated by the Republican party — the party who opposed the KKK when the opposition were officers in the organization, who were the reason Johnson managed to work the civil rights bill through congress in the sixties as the killed the fillibuster by Robert (one of those KKK officers) Byrd to get it through or the Republicans who were in the process of integrating the Federal Government until Virginia born Woodrow Wilson ordered it stopped when he took office. I can see why some people would take issue with this behavior but I can’t condone it.
In days after his inauguration, Obama had his advise and consent from the Senate. It’s more than six months now and Trump still has been refused the rest of his cabinet.
I marched in the sixties for civil rights. I was there in DC for “I have a dream.” I have been hit in the face while marching peacefully and did not return the complement. I recognize only one race — homo sapien. I resist being labelled “white,” although that’s closer to my shade than brown or yellow. Anybody that wants to call me a racist pathologically ignors facts.
Before you categorically accept the labels applied to those of us who support Trump I suggest you get a copy of “The Smear: How Shady Political Operatives and Fake News Control What You See, What You Think and How You Vote,” by Sharyl Attkisson. See if you re-examine your assumptions.
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I get that you are a Republican. I get it. I even get why certain people, mainly working class whites, felt alienated and disillusioned at a slipping economy, or, I suppose for some, a rapid change in demographics. However, I think that in all of this you fail to see why people are so angry, or at least you fail to see what has caused it.
Trump’s hateful rhetoric emboldened racist voices. You can’t ignore this. Ever since he started campaigning hate crimes spiked against the very people he blamed for taking jobs and committing acts of violence, mainly Muslims and Mexican immigrants, both documented and undocumented. David Duke of the KKK openly rejoiced over Trump’s win. This is concerning and scary.
His hard line stances pose a threat to the safety of many. I don’t think that Democrats should beat up Trump supporters or hate on you, I really don’t. But, you can’t just throw your arms up at the violence and hate and say, “I’m not THAT kind of Trump supporter.” That won’t do anything to bring together a divided America, an America that was only polarized and broken along party, race, and religious lines even more by Trump’s rhetoric. It was only a matter of time that an election this toxic would amount to this. There could only be so many divisive comments and scandals before America tore itself apart.
At the end of the day, I know that most Democrats know that not all of Trump’s supporters are racist or Neo-Nazis, the same way not all Democrats are elitist. However, your endorsement of a candidate, though your opinion, is very concerning for many. I think you must look around you and at what he has said to see why they might be so despondent, why they don’t share your sentiments.
If you truly aren’t heartless, to which I will give you the benefit of the doubt, recognize why people are afraid, why innocent legal immigrants are afraid of the hate they will face and are facing, why peaceful Muslims fear the ban, why many women are appalled.
I totally disagree with your decision to vote for Trump that much will always be true. I disagree that a candidate who had very little to say about actual policy (this isn’t an attack on the Republican Party itself, just so we’re clear, there are Republicans with actual policy to talk about, Trump just isn’t one of them), who’s campaign ran very much on fear and anger alone, who often acts with little regard for basic respect, should win.
However, that much said, I do respect that you exercised your right to vote in this horrible and beautiful thing we call democracy. But I would think that as a Trump supporter you should start telling your fellow voters to stop the violence against minorities, and the hate, to be willing to reach bipartisan solutions and to stop being so hard line. If you want to stop the silencing of Americans of this free country, you can look to those who call you racist, but you should also look to your own party.
Perhaps to stop the anger fueled verbal attacks, get your candidate to address the violence and hate and to condemn it. Get him to stop labeling groups of minorities, of women, of immigrants, with one brush, and maybe some from the other aisle might be more willing to show the kindness that you call for.
Maybe this call of yours should go both ways.
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What a great blog Cassie, I want to say i feel the same way and would like to say there are 3 things in life that heal all, Time, Love and Music. This amazing election was so awesome to watch as it happened before everyone’s eye and real change happened over night and is happening as we speak, We all have to live on this planet as it is the only one we have, so far…
Have a great day and rock and roll… http://www.Berdoo.com
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My name is Jen and I am a 31 year old woman from the Midwest. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and feelings in a honest and respectful way. I believe you 100% when you say that you don’t hate anyone for the same reason that I hope you believe me 100% when I say that I would never stay in a relationship with a person who cheated on me despite the fact that I voted for Hillary. WE are not the candidates that we vote for and we don’t agree with ALL of their choices, but we vote nonetheless and this is a part of voting that can not be avoided.
I really appreciate that you have gone out of your way in the comments section to say that you agree that some of Trump’s words are very hurtful and scary for some people and I ESPECIALLY appreciate your willingness to work hard to dismantle racism and homophobia, etc. That was a key part missing from so many “I don’t hate anyone” posts that I read online.
But here is where I feel there has been a disconnect. Let’s pretend that you wrote this article the day BEFORE the election and the topic was “This is why I will be voting for Donald Trump tomorrow” and a Muslim American and an African American and a Latino American and an American with disabilities (who for the sake of this blog comment are meant to represent vocal leaders in their communities in the US) all read that blog post and said, “you must hate us if you are voting for a person who has said such terrible things about us and has done nothing to protect not just our feelings but our physical well being”. And you, presumably, would say, “Absolutely not! I don’t hate anyone. I am voting for Trump for economic reasons and I will fight for your rights and your safety.” Given your willingness to listen, I assume that the next step in this conversation would be you saying, “What do you think that I can do to help?”. And I really believe that most of those people would look at you and say, “Tomorrow when you go to vote, Please. Don’t. Vote. For. Trump.”
But you DID vote for Trump. You legitimized his statements by choosing him instead of Hillary or a third party candidate or by choosing to just not vote. And so did a LOT of people. And so Trump won fair and square. So where do we go from here?
Now your job of dismantling hatred and bigotry becomes much, much harder because you have undermined the trust of so many Americans who have said, “Do not legitimize a candidate whose campaign was based on a foundation of hateful words.” How are people supposed to believe you when you say that you will work to help them when you did not help them with your vote? This is going to be a hard 4 years for the people who say that they don’t hate anyone but voted for Trump and are now calling for unity and understanding. Their words ring false in the ears of people who are understandably very, very scared to live in America right now.
I didn’t write this thinking that I was going to magically change your mind and fill you with regret over your choice. It’s too late for that anyway. I wrote this because I wanted to shed light on why so many people are sad and distrustful and feel hated right now, myself included.
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Hi Jen, I just emailed you this same response, but I also wanted to post it here so that others can also see my response. I may not see your response on here, but please feel free to email me back if you would like to continue this conversation! I look forward to hearing from you. P.S. I also saw one of your other comments below and I think I sort of addressed it in this response as well. Thanks again for being so respectfully engaging!
I personally feel that asking anyone to not legitimize a candidate by voting for them is unfair. I feel that way because our country is founded on the idea of democracy. We should be allowed to vote for the candidate we feel will best achieve the things we deem important during his/her presidency. I could mirror your question with the opposing question, “Please do not legitimize a candidate who has abused power and changed policy beliefs to appeal to a certain platform because I am scared that she will not truly represent the concerns of the people”. While I believe it is vital to exchange opposing beliefs and ideas in a civilized way, I do not think it is right to ask someone not to vote for a candidate when asked what the voter can do to make sure their voice is heard. (The wording of that is slightly confusing, but I couldn’t figure out how to word it better. Hopefully it made sense.)
Maybe if I share a more personal story it will make more sense. I have many close friends of mine who voted for Hillary. Leading up to the election, we talked extensively about our differing beliefs and our analysis of both candidates’ policies and controversies. When a topic came up that I was not educated on, I took the time to look it up so that I could properly educate myself and figure out where I stood on that issue. The conversations were always civil and while none of us changed our views, we had more knowledge about the concerns of each person. This helped to better understand why they were voting for who they were voting for, despite the controversy surrounding both candidates.
Now, post-election, I have respectfully reached out to a few friends that voted differently than me so that I can better understand their concerns and also hear how I can help to regain their trust that I will still advocate for them. This conversation usually started off with my clarifying that I did not vote for Trump lightly. It was a very difficult decision for me…one that I weighed heavily the entire hour and a half wait to vote. Ultimately, I chose to vote for Trump reasons of policies that I believe will better our country, not just me personally. While I am aware that many people disagree with what I think is the solution, that is why we have a democracy. So, once they understood that, many of my friends better understood where I was coming from and were able to respect my decision even if they didn’t agree. They then told me some of the things I can do…many of which other people have mentioned on my blog post’s comments section.
I was not expecting my blog post to get the amount of attention it has. I wrote it for my friends and family to see and that’s it. Because of that, I assumed that everyone reading my post already knew my character and what I have done/plan to do as an active citizen. Obviously, the majority of people reading my blog post are now people that I have never met, nor will I ever meet. So I can fully understand why, for them, they are frustrated/concerned that I wrote that post without any plan of action, for lack of better words.
I am in the process of writing another blog post that will cover what I plan to do personally, as well as what others can do to be more active citizens within our government and gain that trust back. It is taking me some time to write because I am researching online, I have reached out to my State Representative, and I am taking the time to read as many emails and comments as I can so that I am as knowledgable as possible when I go to write my “plan of action”.
With all of the attention my post is getting, I feel an enormous responsibility to be an even more active and educated citizen on all matters related to our government and country. I would also like to clarify that I am not doing media interviews and accepting offers to have my post published for personal attention. It was very hard for me to decide to put myself out there on national television, but at the end of the day, I felt that sharing my thoughts as well as encouraging more civil discussion was way more important than me protecting my image or saving myself from ridicule. I truly am not doing it for personal gain. I plan to continue to speak out not only for Republicans, but for all that feel that their voices are not heard and have to fear hate and violence. Since sharing my post, I have received comments and emails from very hateful people saying they want to find me and do very mean things to me, I have been called terrible names, and have been unfriended by friends I thought were my friends. This has not been easy, but it has helped me to understand, firsthand, just a glimpse of the hate many people experience everyday. It has motivated me even more to listen, speak out, and continue to spread knowledge, not hate.
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Hi Cassie,
First of all, I don’t care who you vote for or why, there is never any excuse for threatening to ‘find you and do very mean things to you’, as you very politely phrased it. That’s harassment and it’s disgusting and scary and divisive and WRONG. I hope that this doesn’t ever happen again as you continue to tell your story. I also hope that everyone else following these comments stomps that right out when they see it. Online harassment will not be tolerated and any point trying to be made will be invalidated by its presence, either in public forums or through shameful and cowardly private emails.
*Ahem* Having made that point, I want to give you a hug and a high five for having the bravery to not only speak your mind respectfully and honestly but to CONTINUE to do so despite a great deal of negative backlash (including my own). From what you’ve said, you had no idea that this was going to become so widely read and you are managing the mantle of responsibility in an admirably polite and surprisingly prompt fashion. Lots of people in your shoes would probably remove the post or just shut the whole blog down, but you’re still here answering questions and sharing your story and I think that’s great. I think that respectfully sharing stories is what’s going to gain back a lot of the trust that I think has been broken.
We do still disagree about some things. I do think that Trump is both racist and complicit in hateful behavior. Perhaps this is because we have different views of what constitutes racism. I do not think that my vote for Hillary legitimized an abuse of power because I don’t think that she did that and I am much less concerned about Clinton’s changing policy beliefs than I am about Trump’s. I feel like this is the point in a lot of comments sections where people start hurling URL’s and personal anecdotes in an attempt to prove that they are 100% right and that the other side is 100% wrong. I have plenty of both but at this point the election is over and I’m settling for a call to action and a continued interest in keeping the lines of communication open, and you seem very inclined to do just that. Thank you.
I will offer this suggestion: as you continue to listen and learn and question, keep seeking out opposing points of view and media outlets. If this election has accomplished anything it is getting me to check out conservative news sources online. I have found myself clicking on things that I never thought I would click on, and while it hasn’t changed my mind (if anything it has steeled my resolve) it has helped me to paint a broader picture of the opinions that are floating around. It has also taught me that a troll is a troll, no matter who you voted for.
If you are looking for ways to help or ideas for your plan of action, I strongly suggest visiting the Southern Poverty Law Center’s website: https://www.splcenter.org/. I do think that this organization could be thought of as having a liberal bias because they (I believe understandably) did not and do not support Trump, but in their own words, “The SPLC is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education, and other forms of advocacy, the SPLC works toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality.” That sounds like something we can all agree on. 🙂 I have found their publication “Speaking Up: Responding To Everyday Bigotry” unendingly useful in my own conversations with colleagues and family: https://www.splcenter.org/20150126/speak-responding-everyday-bigotry
Again, thank you for your respectful honesty and willingness to call out hatred when you see it. Now more than ever we need people who voted for Trump to stand up and say that hatred will not be tolerated in our country.
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Hi Jen,
I cannot thank you enough for personally emailing me as well as commenting again on here. I 100% agree with you that in order to truly formulate what we believe we need to seek out OUR own sources. With the help of my dad, I looked at liberal leaning websites and sources as well as conservative. Like you, my research further validated my viewpoints, but unlike you we still have different viewpoints. But, THAT IS OKAY. We used to be a nation that encouraged the sharing of ideas and now it seems that we try to shut down anyone who does not see things EXACTLY the way we do (sorry for the caps…there isn’t an italics option on here). I am continuing to read as many comments and emails as I can so that I can also gain more knowledge and insight into what people are feeling and why. Even if it does not change my position, I am a true believer that it is just as important to be knowledgable on opposing beliefs as it is to be informed on your own beliefs. I am almost finished writing my next blog post which I am hoping will shed more light as to how I plan to advocate for those who feel that their voice will not be heard. Thank you again for your time and thoughtfulness. I greatly appreciated discussing your perspective. Please email me at any time if you have more questions or just want to get my perspective! Thanks for sharing those links as well. I will definitely check them out!
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What a great blog Cassie, You Rock!!! I want to say i feel the same way and would like to say there are 3 things in life that heal all, Time, Love and Music. This amazing election was so awesome to watch as it happened before everyone’s eye and real change happened over night and is happening as we speak, The whole world will be excellent and i have enough faith for everyone, We all have to live on this planet as it is the only one we have, so far…
Have a great day and rock and roll… JC Berdoo Guitarist Hardrock Metal Biker Band from San Bernardino Ca USA http://www.Berdoo.com
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Maybe you’re not but you just put one in the White House. They’re right to criticize you for doing so. Actions have consequences and your action’s consequences may well cost us our Democracy. When Trump’s friend Putin was elected twenty years ago it took him 1 year to take over the media, then 4 to do away with the legislative systems that could have removed him from office. The Russian courts crumbled along the way.
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I think you neglecting the fact that Trump is one of the most liberal Republican presidential candidates in history. For most of his life, he identified as a Democrat…he attended benefits alongside the Clinton’s. Trump is not an evil person? Does he have flaws, yes. So does every person in politics. I’m not excusing them, but I think his behavior the last few weeks speak volumes for his true character. Campaigns never show the true side of a person. I don’t ask you to support him, nor do I ask that you agree with me. All I ask is that you give Trump a chance to show you that he can be a dignified president.
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Cassie, it seems to me that the defeated campaign created a straw man with all those hateful characteristics. Those believers in that campaign adopted it as truth and think that gives them the right to make lots of assumptions. Now they run in fear of their side’s creation. We must start listening to each other instead of treating politics like athletics: if they have on the wrong jersey, they are obviously evil.
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It’s nice to have the luxury to be able to overlook the vileness, the racism, and the hatred, because you know it doesnt apply to you.
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Brad,
I am not overlooking it. This is going to sound harsh to you, but I see capitalism as the best way to help those in financial trouble. Capitalism does not discriminate. As long as you are producing, your race, ethnicity and gender identity do not matter.No one wants to admit it, but our lives depend on the ability to make money. So yeah, while we all like to say we are only motivated by the goodness of our hearts, the reality is that to a great extent, we have to be motivated by money. It’s just fact. Now, I recognize that liberals and conservatives differ on the effectiveness of Capitalism, but my point is that I did not overlook those groups. I truly believe that conservative economic policy will benefit those in need more.
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It’s me again, Jen, the 31 year old midwesterner from the other comment up above. I saw this and wanted to respond.
I’ll happily admit it: our lives depend on the ability to make money. All of our lives regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, etc. And there are a lot of disenfranchised people that would love to support their loved ones with money that they earn by participating in capitalism. They want to buy houses and start businesses and produce but they can’t because they are discriminated against, either openly or privately, because of their race, ethnicity, and/or gender identity. People of Color are denied loans and housing because they are POC and LGBT people can still be fired from their jobs for being LGBT. Capitalism might not discriminate but people do, especially people who benefit financially from their own privilege.
Unlike the original poster of the comment, I think that you are affected by this and it does apply to you. You are a woman and so am I and we do not make the same amount of money as a man would at the same job with the gender wage gap at over 20%, much more so if either of us is a Person of Color.
I will not go as far as to say that a vote for Hillary would have changed this because that’s just…silly. No one has a magic “bridge the gender wage gap wand” as much as I wish that one existed. I do, however, think that it’s important to be aware that we do not individually enter into the economy on a level playing field. I’m willing to say that a conservative economic policy might benefit those in need, but until we take big steps to stop discrimination (steps like not legitimizing racism with our votes), those conservative economic policies will benefit those with privilege much more so than anyone else, including me and you.
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Look I agree that you shouldn’t be ostracized because of who you voted for but you have to realize that the benefits of a Trump presidency that you outlined are not the things that people are afraid of. Many people who support Trump (obviously not all and probably not even most) have started committing hate crimes and saying hateful things because of the election results. If people get hurt or ostracized by someone because of the results they become scared of everyone. Also people are afraid of Trump because of the racist/sexist/homophobic things he said on the campaign trail. Then there’s Pence who believes in things like forced conversion therapy (torture). Again I understand where you’re coming from and I agree that you shouldn’t be judged but you didn’t seem to understand why people are afraid which I think is why they judge Trump supporters.
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I appreciate you offering more clarification Jonah. There are also many people who support Hillary that have acted out in hate and violence. It has gone both ways and the sooner we stop pointing the finger and trying to find blame, the sooner good citizens, who don’t have hate in their hearts, can come together to combat those who do. This is something that no president, no matter how good his/her character can do. It is up to us, as people, to show that this behavior is intolerable.
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Dear Cassie.
I am a 55-year-old mother of two and Vice President/partner in my own small energy consulting business.
Like you, I am not racist, although a true and honest exploration of myself would certainly reveal that I have been raised inside of a largely white bubble and I have no real experience connecting the values I believe I have with action in my every day life. I have work to do here. I am not homophobic. This I know. I have LGB friends and relatives and I love them without judgment. I’m good on that front. I am not sexist or misogynist. This I also know. I am a woman and I have felt real pain over the misogyny this election has brought to the surface. It has hit me hard that women have a lot more fighting to do, and I for one have my boxing gloves ready. I don’t hate men, although I do have an issue with those men who couldn’t vote for Hillary simply because she is a woman. To them I say: Get over yourselves.
I believe in markets as much as anyone. But please understand that Trump is the furthest thing from a free market advocate. He is a protectionist, as evidenced by his campaign promise to impose a 45% tariff on all products from China. As the Wall Street Journal said, this would hurt American workers and companies. This is way too protectionist for me. Here’s what I believe. Markets need to be free to work, but they also need to be competitive and fair. For this to happen, we need good regulation in place, especially in important markets such as finance, healthcare, retirement security, and energy. Why? Because markets are not people; they are markets. They react and respond to one thing and one thing only: Profit. They do so at the expense of everything else, including individuals, families, and the planet on which we rely for food, water and life. We must inject some basic fair rules of play into markets or we will continue to see problems like the mortgage meltdown happen over and over again and we will continue to see environmental destruction that greatly harms our health. Without any ground rules in place, markets run awry (as recent history in the finance sector has very clearly shown). A lack of basic common-sense rules of play causes great suffering among hard-working people and causes great damage to our economy and the job market.
Like you, I am for strong foreign policy. I’d really like to know more about what this means to you. Here’s what it means to me. Foremost, we stay in NATO – the cornerstone of global security. Trump proposes that we pull out of NATO, and no other presidential candidate from either party since NATO was formed in 1949 ever even entertained this idea. NATO is the mechanism for creating solidarity among allies, and this is critical for our nation’s security. What’s more, I believe a strong foreign policy is one that doesn’t just follow our own financial self-interest and seek to preserve our own position of power, but one that aims to promote economic growth where it’s needed most and thereby relieve misery. Radical terrorism is borne out of deep human misery and a resultant loss of hope, and whatever we can do to relieve this in a way that works for us will make America safer (not to mention greater). Specifically, we can promote policies that are cost-neutral or even in our financial self-interest and understand that these are investments, not charity. For example: We currently impose tariffs on many lower-wage industrial countries to protect our own industries, and some are reasonable. But if we made exceptions for countries like Sudan, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other “trapped” Third World countries as economist Paul Collier has proposed, we could enable economic growth in these countries and, ultimately, significantly reduce our foreign aid. We could also follow in France’s footsteps by implementing “innovative financing” programs; that is, levying tiny fees on activities that have benefited most from globalization and investing this revenue into activities that alleviate the suffering of those who have benefited the least. France collects an extra euro on every international flight ticket and allocates the funds toward micro-financing, life-saving diagnostics, and medicines for the Third World. Policies like this are precisely what will make us more secure while helping to turn America into the great country we think we are. Trump’s isolationist policy ideas will have the opposite effect and make us far less safe.
I am for small business. I own one. So does my husband. It’s how we make a living and support our family. Enough said.
I am for my family. I am a mother and a wife to my husband of 30 years. Again, enough said.
I am a registered Democrat but I do not have loyalty to my party over my principles and values. I supported Bernie Sanders even though the party did not because he called for positive political change – something I call “constructive disruption.” Our system of law and our political system are fixed in favor of special interests and I believe this system needs to be broken. I believe we need to invest in education, basic healthcare, and a new clean energy economy – fast.
I want jobs, too. But Trump’s empty promise of bringing back jobs is nothing short of a con job. We cannot reopen coal mines and make people who have lost their livelihoods think that we can return to the past. This is utter deception and it’s tragic for the people who believe him. I am in the energy business, and the reason coal is dying has nothing to do with a political “war on coal.” It has everything to do with those free markets that you mention. The price of natural gas is so incredibly low that people, businesses and industries choose it over coal. It’s that simple. It’s basic economics. So Trump’s position is not only ill-informed but it’s one of a string of empty, tragic promises he cannot keep. If we really want jobs, we need a leader who is willing to understand the realities of why certain jobs are disappearing (i.e., globalization, free markets, technology) and create job training programs that work in this new world order while giving people a new chance at prosperity and improving our economy. Job training programs like the US Dept of Labor grants for helping coal mining workers transition to clean energy jobs, and the Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act promoted by Bernie Sanders are precisely the mechanisms we need. These mechanisms create BETTER jobs for people while boosting our economy, and they are a demonstration of the correct role of government in our lives. (And by the way, these programs aim to also address the greatest threat to your future: Climate change. Trump has plans to put a climate denier in charge of the EPA and dismantle any environmental protections we have. This will do greater damage to our economy, and to our lives and those of all children than most people are willing to comprehend or admit.)
Finally, I am grateful you opened this line of communication. It is critical to our country’s ability to move forward. As my son who is a student in statecraft at American University said to me recently, discussion, discourse, and a collective search for truth is the only safeguard we have against fascism. I hope you will very seriously consider this, because the Trump-inspired racist, misogynistic, anti-LGBT, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim talk – in conjunction with the moves he is making to appoint corporate Washington insiders in positions of power despite his campaign promise to “drain the swamp” – should make us all afraid.
Finally, please don’t take this last point as a personal affront. It is not. I admire more than you know your willingness to engage. And I look forward to more discourse that does not oversimplify the very real issues we face.
Dianne Herrin
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Thank you Dianne for the message. It would be such a different world if everybody were able to debate and express ideas like you just did, and like Cassie did too!
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Thank you for your optimism and kindness. I, and many others appreciate it! Let’s continue to spread knowledge, not hate
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If you voted only for the fiscal conservative and military points of Trump’s platform, I applaud and respect your vote.
But it will not be until you stand up and fight for rights with the rest of us that I will believe you are not heartless. All of us as Americans have to work together to protect our country core values of civil liberties, equality and tolerance. We must help each other, not tear each other down…but we must also hold each other accountable for actions, not words, at this time.
When you and all those like you volunteer for the ACLU or the NAACP or the Trevor Project or just go volunteer at a soup kitchen when the public assistance is cut, then I will believe you are not heartless. You promise to “remain active”. I look forward to seeing you write of your experiences in that
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Hi,
Thank you for your comment. As I have said to many others, my blog post was not intended for people that did not personally know me. Had I known it would be seen by this many people, I would have included a little more specifics about myself and my character…simply because those who are close to me, know how I have been an active citizen so I did not feel the need to prove that. I am completely aware that the majority of people reading have no idea who I am besides a blonde, white girl who voted Republican. I have been an active citizen and will continue to be. I am currently working and researching more on how everyone can be more involved in their government on a day to day basis. I will share all of that on my blog as soon as I feel that I am knowledgable enough on those options.
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It’s interesting to me that people on both sides feel under represented and unheard, but that the general populace has a tendency to blame each other instead of laying blame where it belongs. The truth is that the media is owned by large, super wealthy corporate interests and are instructed to place inflammatory stories in front of us with the intent of keeping us at odds with each other. Our politicians- local, state and federal-are put in office by the advertising dollars of these same interests. Our collective strings are being pulled by big money with a vested interest in keeping us at odds with each other so we don’t direct our angst at them. Poor and middle class folks, regardless of race, religion, or urban-rural, have far more in common than we’ve been led to believe, but if we were to band together and assert our power, and lay responsibility for this mess where it belongs, big money and those in their pockets would be in trouble. We the People are being used and pitted against each other, on purpose, cynically, so that those in power stay there. I think Trump’s “outsider” status appealed to many…but he has been on the other side of the equation, using his money to influence policy to his benefit; just as Hillary and the others have been taking the money and letting it influence policy. No one’s hands are clean, but tearing each other apart just hurts US. It is not hurting those who set us up for pain. We all need to vote our conscience (and yes, at the end of the day, we all vote our own self interest), but we all, on either side, need to own the consequences of the choice. It is up to US to heal the hurt and find a way to go forward. Help me understand your point of view. Help me see that you don’t support the violence, regardless of source or reason. I want healing. I want everyone to feel safe. Thanks for the discourse.
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Dear Cassie, and other Republicans facing hate,
I’m sorry you feel like you can’t share the joy you feel right now without being judged. As a college-aged lesbian, i know exactly much that hurts. No-one deserves to be defined by one aspect of themselves, whether that is being a Republican, being Muslim, being gay, being a person of color, etc.
But I also want you to take a step back- to give those who are saying these things to you a break. You wrote, “Pre-lecture discussions were filled with phrases like ‘I am scared for our future’, ‘I am scared to be gay’, ‘How did this happen?’ and, by far the most bothersome, ‘People that voted for Trump are racist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic selfish red necks.’” While I agree that the latter is an unfair judgement of you, I hope that you realize the first three statements were not said to be “bothersome.’” These are real feelings and real fears, that you, and I in most cases as a white college student, are privileged not to have. Even if Trump and Pence are unable to enact any of their policies that would hurt marginalized groups, the fact that they were elected despite their beliefs on these issues is enough to inspire fear in those who are or deeply care about marginalized people. Fear is difficult to deal with, and it seems that some of it has manifested itself as hateful comments toward you. You do not deserve these comments, as it is your right to vote for someone who will serve your interests, but I urge you to try to understand where these comments come from and to meet them with love.
It is privilege to be happy about these election results, it is privilege to be indifferent about them, and it is even privilege to be angry about them, as I am. I am currently student-teaching in a high school with almost all low-income Black and Hispanic students, many of whom are immigrants and many of whom are Muslim. Though almost every one of them supported Clinton, they were not surprised by Trump’s win. They are used to living in a country and encountering system after system that is not for them; they are numbed to it. When your friends, acquaintances, and professors judge you for your vote for Trump, they may be scared that his presidency will negatively affect them, or they may be empathizing with those who are already hurt by the climate Trump’s words endorse. Your frustration is valid, as is my frustration with the election outcome, but, in my opinion, both pale in comparison to the fear and hopelessness many are feeling right now.
So, I urge you to put your energy into working to understand the people who are or will be hurt by Trump’s win. I urge you to work to make sure that they are protected and fought for, as human rights and the benefits you hope to gain from a Trump presidency should not be mutually exclusive. I hate how divided our country is just like you do, and I am confident that our generation will make strides toward putting hate and judgement behind us.
With love,
A Democrat facing hate
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Hi Rebecca,
Thank you for reading my post and for taking the time to write a thoughtful response. Everyone has a right to feel the way they feel right now. I am in no way arguing with that. I am truly sorry that so many people are facing hate, ridicule and discrimination. Some of my own friends have shared their experience with me and it breaks my heart. I am not ignorant to those concerns, and in fact, I have been doing my best to read and respond to as many comments as I can so that I can gain more knowledge and understanding. If there is one thing I can confidently say, it is that I am not someone who believes what I believe and refuses to hear anything different. I have and will continue to listen to all of your voices so that, as a Republican who does not want to set our social progress back, but does want to see a more conservative government in other areas, I can use my voice to articulate what you and many others are feeling. I am beyond sorry for the fear and hopelessness you are feeling right now. I am also sorry that hateful people have made you weary of mine, and many other Republican’s intentions. (I am not saying that in a sarcastic tone). I promise to do my absolute best to make sure that you, and many others who feel similar to you, are protected and fought for. But that all depends on civil conversations across party lines. So, thank you for kindly expressing your concerns to me. I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate it. If you have any specific ideas or suggestions of things that I can do, or you would like to talk to me further, please email me. I would love to continue discussing with you what you think is next for us, as citizens. I only say to email me, because it is difficult to read and respond to all comments on here.
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Bravo Cassandra… Well said and accurate!
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Why didn’t you vote for Johnson if most of your reasons for voting Trump were finance and small government?
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I personally felt that my vote was worth more going towards someone who would win. It’s unfortunate, but third party voters did not have a chance in this election. With the stakes so high in this election, I felt that my vote was more useful voting for the party I identify with.
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Bravo. Your parents should be proud they raised such an intelligent, independent, caring American.
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I voted, but not for either Trump or Hillary. That is all I will tell you about myself. How do you label me?
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I will not label you. There is no need to label you. You voted for who you voted for for a reason. You are an American citizen and you have every right to vote for who you want. There is no need to label you as anything other than an American citizen. Thank you for voting.
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You may not be any of those things Cassie but by voting for Trump you prioritized your economic views over humanity in my my opinion. By voting for Trump you accepted his behavior and rhetoric. You thought money was more important to you than respect for women, inclusion, acceptance, and all the freedoms our country has worked hard to accomplish. That is why your peers and the whole world is mourning not because Hillary lost. A lot of us are just disheartened that many like yourself have your economic mindset only and cannot think beyond your wallet.
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Hi Lynn, I did not just vote with an economic mindset. I voted for our national security, foreign policy, and healthcare, just to name a few more. I did not just think about myself. I thought about my family and I thought about many of my close friends’ families and in my mind, the policies Trump campaigned for were the ones I saw as the most beneficial to those people I just mentioned. I did not just vote for myself and my own economic agenda. The bottom line is that conservatives and economic see a problem and they see the solution to the problem differently. I saw Trump’s policies as the best for our country. If you voted differently, then I’m sure you disagree with that statement, but my point is that I did not just vote for myself and for my own benefit.
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Thank you for your article. I support absolutely your right to have voted as you did, to believe and feel as you do, and to be happy that the candidate you supported won the election. Mr. Trump’s victory has shown that there are very real and very legitimate frustrations, and that these are widespread in this country. It also shows us on the left that we have been dismissive of these issues for far too long. We have to acknowledge and own that.
I think at the same time it’s very important for you to understand why we who opposed Trump (and that includes many people who did not actually vote for Clinton) are so upset and frustrated. It’s not just the sting of defeat. It’s not because we think democracy didn’t work.
We’re upset because to us, right now, it LOOKS like almost half our fellow Americans supported a candidate whose rhetoric and campaign promises directly threaten the ideals of equality, justice, due process, and compassion for the vulnerable and oppressed that we believe are central to the American vision, and that we hoped were common ground even across partisan divides. We’re not out in the streets protesting because we’re sore losers. We’re not protesting the legitimacy of your vote or the fact that Trump won the Electoral College. We’re protesting to show our opposition to the things he has PROMISED to do that we believe will violate the rights of our fellow Americans.
We’re fearful because many, many of us belong to, or care deeply for people who fall into, one of the many groups that Mr. Trump has vilified, mocked, and promised action against during his campaign. I myself am a gay man. I also happen to be white and descended from Christian families, so I will likely be shielded from some (but probably not all) of the effects of Mr. Trump’s rhetoric. My boyfriend, however, is a gay Taiwanese immigrant. I am worried and fearful for him, and for my other gay, trans AND straight friends of color, my immigrant friends, my Jewish friends, my Muslim friends, my female friends who now worry more about the permissiveness toward sexual assault Mr. Trump’s words and actions display; I’m worried for my friends who are disabled or have chronic health issues who are facing the prospect of losing healthcare that they rely on; I’m worried for all these friends, and for all of THEIR friends in the same positions, and for their families and their children.
This is not just vague, formless anxiety: The Southern Poverty Law Center, and major news outlets across the country have reported over 200 incidents of vandalism, harassment, intimidation, abuse, and assault directed at vulnerable ethnic, religious and sexual minorities, immigrants, and women in the days since the election, many of which were accompanied explicitly by rhetoric referencing Mr. Trump and his election. It seems clear that the two are linked, and that the votes cast in favor of Mr. Trump by millions of Americans (like yourself) who probably despise bigotry, are nevertheless providing validation and encouragement to a (hopefully) much smaller segment of the population who do hold racist, sexist, xenophobic, anti-Muslim or anti-Semitic, homo- and trans-phobic, or otherwise hateful views. They look at this victory and believe it means they are free now to ACT on their prejudices (which they were always free to BELIEVE before). So far, all we are SEEING and HEARING is confirmation that Trump supporters believe the hateful rhetoric of Mr. Trump’s campaign. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, why should we believe otherwise?
I believe Trump supporters are not all bigots. I believe you are a good people with faith in those American ideals of equality, compassion for the oppressed, justice and due process. But right now, just believing these things and saying them is not going to be enough. Right now, we ALL (especially those who voted for Trump for the economy) need to put direct pressure on our President-elect and other elected officials to strongly denounce the hate crimes that are being committed in his name, to unequivocally retract and condemn the rhetoric of his campaign, and to commit to representing and preserving the civil liberties of ALL individuals in this country, a majority (slim though it was) of whom DID vote against that rhetoric.
I’m hopeful that if enough of us can come together and agree that hate and bigotry have no place in America, we can remove a major obstacle to better understanding and appreciating each others’ actual political and economic concerns and views, and a realizing that deep down, we have the same basic, human, aspirations and needs: The aspiration that, with each other, our families and friends, and in our society, we should be able to live authentic and decent lives of social and economic dignity, without fear of oppression or violence.
Thank you for voicing your support against hatred, and for being willing to listen to my concerns. I’ll do my best to be willing to hear yours. To you and all the other similar Trump supporters reading this–Please consider using your position as a voter for the winner to tell your candidates EXACTLY WHY you supported them, and to let them know that regardless of your vote, you will vehemently oppose and hold them to account for racism, sexism, religious intolerance, homophobia/transphobia, and xenophobia in any form.
Thank you.
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Hi Joshua, I would love to thoughtfully reply/continue to discuss all of the things you have said, but I need to take the time to give you a thoughtful response. Would you mind emailing me your comment so that I can respond to you personally? I will say that I do greatly appreciate you respecting my right to vote for who I did and to voice my opinion. I also greatly appreciate you expressing your viewpoint in a respectful manner on here. Like I have said in other comments, my intent is not to say my view is right in any way. It is very possible that my view is flawed. I encourage people like you to express your feelings and beliefs to me, and others, so that we can educate ourselves. More people need to spread knowledge, not hate so that their voice can actually be received. Thank you again and I look forward to your email and discussing with you.
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You are missing the point! He used racism, homophobia, and bigotry to gain support….(exactly like Fascists did in the 1930’s). I’m from North Dakota and know lots of people who love Trump because of his hateful rhetoric…even people in my own family are racists. And they have been with him from day 1!!
You must feel guilty for throwing your hat in with Trump’s campaign of hate and division, otherwise you wouldn’t be writing this. That’s something YOU need to deal with. You need to live with your choices. Don’t seek validation from strangers asking them to pat you on the back and tell you that you are still a good person. Deal with it.
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I never asked for validation nor have I asked for a pat on the back. My blog post was shared for my friends and family to see how I felt on that day. They know me, they know my character. I felt absolutely no need to prove myself or seek validation. What I wrote is far from a sob story asking for sympathy. I’m encouraging people of all beliefs to discuss with me so that I can become more knowledgable. There is no need to be rude.
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You aren’t the only one writing posts saying “I’m not racist just because I voted for a racist”. It started with my religious friends having to convince themselves that Trump is a good Christian role model even though he cheats on his wives, is a bully, is a crook in his business dealings, lies constantly… etc.
Then came my feminist friends ” sure he said all of those sexist misogynist things, but he didn’t REALLY mean them”. They remind me of an abused wife who gets beaten by her husband then sticks up for him when the cops arrive.
I wish all of you would stop making excuses for him. Stop saying the media is taking his words out of context. We heard his words and saw him whip crowds into a frenzy kicking black people out of his rallies. To me it makes it worse when you try to justify supporting his hateful rhetoric. Own it.
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I’m sick of people like you K ignoring the racism/sexism/homophobia, etc on your side of the divide.
The only black people Trump kicked out of his rallies were rent-a-mob agitators like those currently rioting in the streets. They had come to Trump events to cause trouble. He had them removed so there was no trouble. Watch the Project Veritas videos to understand why those people showed up a Trump events. Or call the Manhattan based corporate group that put them there in the Trump rallies and that currently has put thousands into the streets to riot – their number is 212-633-6646.
Let’s look at the racism people like you tolerate. Did you know that because of your political beliefs, 40 million black Americans were never allowed a shot at life itself in America. That’s because of abortion, which disproportionately targets black people. Hillary Clinton was an avid pro-abortion candidate, so much so that during the Presidential debates she affirmed her support for partial birth abortion. Abortions that end more black lives than any other demographic. That’s racist.
Or let’s look at Baltimore. It’s been 50 years since a Republican served as mayor Baltimore. Today, many of the city schools don’t have working air conditioning – the old-style chillwater units are in disrepair. Ever been to Maryland in the spring and summer? It gets hot. So Baltimore’s children – largely black – sit in sweltering classrooms getting short-changed on their education because the city hasn’t fixed the airconditioning. Maryland’s Republican Governore tried to solve the problem. For $600 per classroom he tried to have window units installed. ($600 covered the cost of the window unit plus labor and materials needed to complete installtion)). It was a cheaper and more immediate solution than replacing million dollar chillwater units. Had the Governor’s plan seen fruition it would have been a win for Baltimore’s children. Maryland’s Democratically controlled legislature and their friends in Baltimore’s union halls killed the idea. Because it’s easier to keep poor urban black folks dumb and mad in order to get them to vote Democrat. That’s racist.
Speaking of unions, you no doubt missed the SEPTA strike that hit Philly right before the election. Once again, a bunch of rich Democrat labor leaders shut down Philadelphia’s mass transit thus disproportionately impacting you guessed it, poor black people. Had it continued to election day just think of all the black people that would’ve been denied the right to vote because they’d have had no way to get to their polling station. That’s racist.
Who was Hillary Clinton on stage with during the days before the election? She shared it was musical acts that used the n-word, the w-word, the h-word, the b-word, in songs full of misogynist and homophobic diatribes.
So yes please, ignore these real world instances of hate and clip on your safety pin – because nothing says “my political ideology is adult and immature” like adopting the fashion sense of infants and toddlers – and imagine there is racism where there is none.
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LOL seriously? I’m supposed to know about local issues concerning air conditioners in Baltimore? I live in the midwest…why would I know about local issues on the east coast? I don’t sit on the internet all day…. I have a job.
I do know that in communities not far from me there have been attacks against African Americans. It’s 2016. I never thought I’d have to witness that.
And why do you assume I’m for abortion? You don’t know me. And if it’s not your uterus involved, it’s none of your business!!!
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Thank you so much for your eloquent, respectful and brave post.
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While well intentioned, it wreaks of a lack of research on the recent history of the GOP (1980-on) and conveniently avoids the fact the Trump campaign main points were racist attacks on Mexicans, Muslims, and a good heaping dose of anti feminism.
The sad part is, when good Americans stand up to protest Trump, the conservatives cry foul. They conveniently forget how they protested Obama with racist signs, nooses, and all out illogical hate. For 8 years conservatives called him the N word all over FOX websites, or suggested he was a Muslim.
And now you want to pretend you’re good people? You’re not racist? Because you lived near a city you understand diversity? No, you are the product of ignorance, however well intentioned. You are the child of Reagan’s debauchery where over 100 of his administration’s members were convicted or indicted of crimes, he destroyed the middle class with 11 tax raises, and yet you revere him . You’re all embarrassments, there’s no excuse for being 20+ years old and not researching the truth.
You are a racist, you are a sham of a human who feels sorry for herself while others suffer.
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I do not feel sorry for myself at all. In fact, if you looked at my responses to comments you would see that I understand why people feel the way they do. You would also know that I have never asked for an apology. I believe that TRump’s economic policy will help the middle class. You may not agree, but that is how I feel. Even more, yes growing up in a diverse area has had a huge influence on me not being narrow-minded. I was able to be exposed to MANY different viewpoints, beliefs and values. From that, I was able to form my own opinions. So yes, I will stand by what I said that growing up in a diverse area has influenced me to not be ignorant of social, political and economic issues. You may disagree on the ignorance part, but I truly believe that conservative economic policy helps more people that liberal economic policy.
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You weren’t even born in 1980 Roger.
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In light of the outbreak of racial violence following the election, many people are asking for their identity as non-racists to be declared. That’s not good enough. It’s enough that you insist that you are not a racist. It’s not enough that you try to disqualify the part that you played in this by claiming that having an education or your nice family somehow has informed your decision to vote for a racist but disqualifies you from accepting responsibility that you did knowingly vote for a racist. You knew who this person was and what he represents and you voted for him anyway. His bigotry, sexism, racism and xenophobia did not cause enough of a moral dilemma for you that you would choose not to vote for him. In that way, you are responsible. You had all of the facts, and your privilege allowed you to overlook things that you knew wouldn’t affect you, and doing so you enabled this to happen. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE. You have helped to recreate every domestic violence, racial violence or hate-crime scenario on a national scale. You were willing to look the other way and not want to get involved and give the rich, white man the benefit of the doubt at the expense of the safety of others. And now you don’t want to take responsibility. It’s not that you chose to stay silent and not get involved, but rather that you turned up and you placed your vote for this man anyhow. Now, we have to listen to you tell us that how nice you are and that you’re not a racist? It doesn’t work that way. If you need to make any statement about that at all, the correct thing to say is that, “I’m not a racist, but I’m ok with people who are. It doesn’t bother me enough not to give my vote to someone who is. When challenged, I’ll maintain my position of innocence and not take responsibility for putting a man in power who causes other people’s lives to be in danger.”
History has shown us that it’s not the just the bad man who wants to bad things that has caused terrible atrocities, but the people who stand back and do nothing that allow it to happen. You are responsible.
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You are implying that I am standing back and doing nothing, yet you know nothing about my personally or what I have done or am doing. This blog post was not intended as an end all, be all to solve these issues. I wrote it because many of my Facebook friends felt similar to me and I shared it with them so they know they weren’t alone in their feelings. So, with that said, I understand why you don’t know that I HAVE been an active citizen against racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. It is also important to realize that Trump is not responsible for these people’s actions. They made their own choices to act out violently and with hate, as have many other Hillary supporters as well. Before you assume that I am a silent, inactive citizen, you should have taken the time to discuss your position with me and ask what I have done/ what I plan to do to be an active citizen so that I CAN show you and others that I am not those things many people have labeled me as. Finally, I would like to make it clear that I am not responsible for what is going on and you trying to pin all of this violence and hate on me is extremely immature and far fetched. Tell me that I indirectly supported bad people? Ok, I’ll take that. But I am not responsible for this as I am sure that you would not like me to tell you that you are responsible for the violence against Trump supporters.
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Likewise, simply making a blog post where you say that you aren’t racist doesn’t at all substantiate your claim that you are not. I’m not saying that you are a racist. However, I am saying that someone who is an identified racist, sexist, xenophobe, and generally a bigot now holds the highest policitcal office. He only does because people like you voted for him. It’s really convenient for you to make a blog post and say what a nice person you are and how you are not a racist, but whether you are willing or able to acknowledge it or not, you are complicit in enabling a man who reintroduces a profound threat to the nation in regard to racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. If you are, by your own words, ‘an active citizen against racism, homophobia, sexism, etc.’, then your vote in support of a candidate who represents those things is an act of your own profound hypocrisy. If those things really bothered you, then you wouldn’t have voted for a man who displays that behaviour. However, as ‘an active citizen against racism, homophobia, sexism, etc.’ his brazen displays of all of those things didn’t actually cause enough of a moral dilemma for you not to vote him. So, really, your claim of actively opposing those things is pretty unsubstantiated. At least the very least, you could voted against the candidate who has now introducted that sort of rhetoric into the national political discourse, but you didn’t.
Are you conveniently forgetting some of the many things that Trump has said whilst campaiging, or have you really not been following that closely along? “Knock the crap out of them” “Bomb the shit out of them” “I’m going to jail all of my opponents”. Advocating assissinating people’s families. Fraternising with white supremecists on Twitter. Threatened news agencies for negative coverage of him, meaning repeating things that he’s said. The list is so long that is impossible to repeat in the space of this message.
You say that he didn’t cause those things, but as a candidate whose electorate is behaving that way in support of him, he didn’t denounce that behaviour either, did he?
Reversing the blame on me in regard to ‘violence against Trump supporters’ is a silly debate tactic, because I’m the not one making blog posts to declare anything about my position as a non-racist or who I supported in the election. Neither is this discussion in any way about Hillary supporters or any post-election actions that they are taking. The discussion topic at hand is your blog post and the contents therein. I’m only commeting on your post because it’s a compilation of spurious logic and half-truths that is damaging to the policital conversation, though I’m sure that your other friends who want a sense of moral absolution for similar reasons appreciate it very much. You are correct in that your actions outside of this conversation are unknown, just as mine are (referening again to your implication of logical fallacy). What is known in no uncertain terms is that you knowingly voted for a bigot. You can try to package your position with whatever moral highground that you think that you have, but the fact remains that the overall sentiment of your post is, “I’m not a racist, but…I voted for one. Not only that, but I will refuse to take responsibilty for giving legitimacy to man who bolstered his campaign through racism. I’ll make claims all day long that I’m working actively against bigotry, but the fact remains that those things didn’t bother me enough to not vote for a bigot.”
If you’re just a sweet, young adult who only wanted to say something in a blog post in a effort to participate, but actually doesn’t really know the full extent of what’s been going on, that’s fine. However, if you are actually wishing to engage in any robust discourse about current American politics, this is it.
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You are saying Cassie is racist because of what? Because she wrote a blog? So typical of the left.
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Spot on
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I am working hard to get this message out. If you agree with this, use the hashtag #voted4trumpnothate and tell those in fear that we are with them.
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Thank you for sharing your opinion and your thoughts. I do agree that there has been a lack of patience and understanding from many liberal people.
However, and I don’t know if you’ve already addressed this in previous replies to comments, I do hope that you share my fear of the country becoming more racist, homophobic, sexist, etc… While I do support people’s right to make informed decisions and vote for whomever they choose, I do not support that right if they are voting for someone who supports discrimination, misogyny, xenophobia, etc… Perhaps my views on Trump are skewed, as I only follow liberal media outlets and surround myself with like minded people, but time and again I have found myself and my friends offended by the things Trump & many of those who support him have said in regards to minority communities. I think for many of my friends, our anger for him stems from the fact that many people who associate with the Republican party are now attacking minority communities en masse because they believe Trump supports them. In my understanding of what is a fair and just democracy, you may do whatever you like as long as it does not harm others. His election, from our perspective, therefore does not seem like “just a vote” or just “exercising your right”. The immediate detrimental consequences that we’ve witnessed because of it are only scaring us even more, and I hope you can understand where our fear is coming from. Because, to many, it is a very real and lived fear. From our perspective, your vote for Trump has — in our eyes — very directly contributed to the hatred and violence of minorities in America. You are right, though, that you cannot control nor claim responsibility for all the actions taken by extremists who have acted on their hatred towards minority communities. But as of late, I have yet to see any Trump supporters actively apologize or do anything for the violence/extreme discrimination we’ve experienced.
Granted, I have yet to take an active stance against those who have conducted acts of violence against those who have voted for Trump. But I know if I see a fight or an injustice of the sort, I will do whatever I can to right this wrong. Please also take into consideration, however, that oppression (racism, sexism, homophobia etc…) is at its core an imbalance in a power structure. True, a person of color may say something rude to a white person just because they are white, but that is not racism. Racism is the fact that a white person can say something rude to someone of color/act violently towards them just because they are a minority and get away with it. Racism is the fact that if a minority is rude or violent towards a white person, more often than not they will *not* get away with it.
I am not saying that I justify a minority’s rude or violent actions towards non-minorities. What I am trying to say is that many minorities will not truly believe in equality until non-minorities are also held accountable for their actions.
I hope that you, as well as your other fellow Republicans, hold your party accountable for the attacks made on minoritized communities. In fact, I hope we all hold each other accountable for any injustices. We are, after all, all working to create a more fair, and more just America.
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Hi, David. I have read your comment and so many others express the same concerns as you. Rather than me continue to write the same thing over and over again in comments that very few people will read, I will address those concerns in another blog post. Thank you for respectfully expressing your thoughts. I have read them and will definitely take them into consideration when I write my next blog post. It will be up in the next few days.
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