All of my regular content feels inconsequential in light of last night’s election results. The topics I had thought to cover now feel trite. Rather than shy away from today’s political conversations, I’m sharing my thoughts on Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in last night’s American presidential election.
Trump’s election is indicative of a culture of prejudice, and a culture in which individual privilege takes precedence over the needs of others. His rhetoric leading up to his election reinforced racism, misogyny, xenophobia and homophobia. He advocated for reduced rights for women, minorities, immigrants, and LGBT people. Even if his rhetoric changes now that he is president-elect – like it did last night in his temperate victory speech – that does not undo the fact that he was elected even though he ran a hate-filled campaign.
Those who voted for Trump condoned his discrimination — whether or not they personally supported it. Even those who voted ambivalently for him are complicit with the culture of white supremacy. After the campaign he ran, his election reinforces the culture of white supremacy on which America – and all colonized countries – was founded. This culture will continue perpetually so long as discrimination is condoned and white people rest on the laurels of our privilege.
What is unjust about the result of the election is that exit polls show that a majority of people of colour voted in favour of Clinton. Those who stand to be the most threatened by Trump’s presidency, those who are subject to discrimination daily, voted in highest percentages against him.
My friend Alex said articulately before the election results started to roll in, “What makes me the most mad is the false equivalency that’s being drawn between Hillary and Trump in the name of ‘unbiased’ media coverage.” Clinton’s email mismanagement was condemned with the same vigour as Trump’s hate-speech and the sexual assault accusations made against him. The media’s false equivalency condoned Trump misogynist and racist comments. In so doing, the media reinforced a culture of discrimination in America. Clinton’s email debacle and her tactic of secrecy are indicative of the mistakes of one person and her support team. All of the wrong Trump has done is indicative of an entire culture of prejudice that will continue perpetually so long as people keep saying, ‘Yeah, but she lied too.’
The force with which Clinton was condemned is indicative of sexism in America and the world, the same sexism she has had to fight every time she sought a position in a male dominated arena. I believe that if a male with Hillary Clinton’s resume had been Trump’s opposition, the forecasted blow out of the Republicans by the Democrats would have been a reality. Had Bernie Sanders won the Democratic nomination, Trump might not have won the election. Then again, perhaps I underestimate the extent to which the white middle and lower class sought political change.
Hillary Clinton was not the perfect political candidate. I would have voted for her if I was an American. However, the candidate I would have supported most enthusiastically was Bernie Sanders. I fear that some voters went into the election with a Bernie or bust mindset and voted their disapproval – by voting Trump, independent or abstaining from the vote – rather than voting their hope of continuing the progress made by Barack Obama’s policies. Some of his policies were imperfect but he sought to make change – change that could be largely undone by Trump’s Republican government.
I am saddened that the most qualified candidate in yesterday’s election was unable to crack the glass ceiling of sexism. She may not have been the perfect candidate – but has there ever been a perfect candidate or president? – but her presidency would have been an undeniably big step towards gender equality. Clinton said in her concession speech, “We have still have not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling. But some day, someone will.”
My heart breaks for all the minority groups in America and around the world who have been made to feel unsafe in the country they call home. So many people I admire are feeling dejected right now, people I turn to for words of truth and justice. Too many people who put in daily work to create a better world have been made to feel like their country doesn’t want them anymore. I am ashamed to live with my white privilege. I am ashamed that my privilege comes at the cost of the safety and security of others.
We still need Black Lives Matter because people of colour are told implicitly and explicitly that their lives do not matter. They experience racism viscerally, not as an abstract concept that exists only in Trump rally hate-speech. We still need feminism because too many women are shamed when they seek positions for which they are qualified in predominantly male fields. Too many women are assaulted, objectified and subjected to language that is meant to devalue us and undermine our personhood. This is even more true for women of colour and for trans women, who are constantly confronted with violence in action and in words.
Where does that leave us now? As a Canadian, I was powerless to influence the quantitative result of the election. I have the power to stand against injustice, to challenge white supremacy and my own white privilege. I have to listen, especially to those who are marginized, whose voices are too often silenced in mainstream media. As a writer, I have to continue to work with publications that prioritize free speech and media democracy. We have to continue to love. bell hooks said, “The practice of love is the most powerful antidote to the politics of domination.” We have to say ‘Fuck you’ to anyone who attempts to create divisions.
As Clinton said in her concession speech, “This loss hurts. But please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.” We need to channel that hurt into action. We now know how far we have to go.
Song of the Day: Alright by Kendrick Lamar
Man Repeller, along with a number of other websites, has compiled a resource that includes a number of organizations to get involved with, and a number of ways to keep fighting for justice.
Court the reason he won isn’t bc of these racist people- we know they exist. the shock came from the obviously hidden supporters who are likely educated and middle class. Rednecks did not cast half the votes. And I don’t believe half of America is racist (this depends on what your definition of racism is- if it’s the extreme left’s idea of crying racism over a white girl wearing braids then ya almost 100% of America is racist). Honestly trump isn’t even racist if you look at it from a moderate person’s p.o.v. What scared me the most from this election is seeing the rise of the extreme left- people who are so die hard on crying racism/sexism/whatever and quick to shut down any conversation about why people who just honestly care about their jobs and livelihoods (fair of them imo) that they become as problematic as trying to reason to a right wing extremist. This is dangerous and frankly so many Canadians are becoming these left wing extremists and I’m scared for MY country
I agree. He didn’t win because of racists, though there were undoubtably some racists who voted for him. According to the exit polls, 78% of people who think their family financial situation is worse today than in previous years voted for Trump. Of the voters who said the most important candidate quality was the ability to bring needed change, 83% voted for Trump. (This is the exit poll I’m referring to: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/08/us/politics/election-exit-polls.html?_r=0) These voters felt their needs weren’t being met by Obama’s government so they voted for change. Even if they didn’t hold the prejudices Trump’s rhetoric articulated and implied, they were willing to condone it based on the possibility that their own situations might improve. They aren’t necessarily bigots — a lot of them probably aren’t! — but they were willing to condone the bigotry Trump articulated.
I think extremism in any form is dangerous because it shuts down conversations and divides people. PC culture does the opposite of what it intends to when it criticizes and condemns rather than starting dialogue, listening to others’ perspectives and educating. Then it is creating its own culture of prejudice under the guise of acceptance. A lot of practices are rooted in a culture that is inherently discriminatory. That’s a reality of post-colonial society and the damages caused by colonialism. The more open conversation that can be had about, say, cultural appropriation, the better.
Some acts are inherently racist, while others — like a lot of what could be named as appropriative — are harder to define. No positive change will be fostered if every white girl who wears cornrows is damned for it. However, it’s problematic to wear the styles without respecting their origins and, more importantly, the people who created them. It’s implicitly racist to say that the Kardash clan has made cornrows beautiful because it implies that the black women who are the innovators of the style cannot be beautiful.
I thought this was an interesting article too, from Man Repeller: http://www.manrepeller.com/2016/11/facebook-algorithm-election-results.html
read the article- super funny that actually social media is one of the main reasons i went out and seeked different opinions, talked with trump supporters, read articles from trump supporters – or liberals speaking with trump supporters, etc. when previously, i laughed at all the tweets and memes mocking mccain and romney, in this election, i felt they were actually ridiculous and distracting from real issues with trump. maybe it was bc i grew up since the last election – or maybe in this election it was magnified ten fold so i found it too annoying and childish to handle. i agree that holistically, all extremist views are bad for a society, and it’s frightened me how much left wing extremism is in our generation that i’m seeing now from this election, and i think social media has contributed to this with how easy it is to share everything. this brings me comfort that man repeller has realized this too and now wants to interact with people with different views – hope there are more out there