Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Post Election Thoughts

Been a while, here's some songs:


I've never been a big facebooker, but after the election I feel the need to share some thoughts on facebook. I drafted up a post and wanted to share it on here too. I grew up in a small town in nevada that was really conservative, so I've seen a lot of shit about the election on facebook, mostly targeting liberals and protestors. So here's my draft: I want to make it shorter, but idk how. I'll likely revise and post it tomorrow:

So I rarely post anything of substance on here, but recent events have made me feel the need to share my thoughts. Since the election I've seen tons of posts on here that go any sort of direction, some rude, some begging for kindness, I simply want to throw some of my observations and thoughts out there. Plus I've been toying with the idea of deleting facebook for a while, it's a huge time consumer and I feel as if nothing good comes from it, so in a few days I'll be deactivating it for a month or two to see how it goes, so these are my closing thoughts for now.

The election has brought a lot of different opinions out, I have thoroughly enjoyed it. The mixing of ideas and opinions to create the best environment for everyone is what I think makes America great. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and everyones opinion should be valued and respected, no matter how it differs from our own. I saw a lot of posts saying "If you support X candidate you should unfriend me now!" and things like that. That is not a healthy approach. Surrounding youself in differing opinions opens up thoughts and ideas we never would have had otherwise, and opens our minds to be more understanding and makes it easier to connect with others. I encourage all my friends and aquaintences to have differing opinions, and know that I will always respect those opinions. We may not agree, but that is ok, and it is great. I want to learn from you, but hope you can have the respect to treat my opinions the same and want to learn from me. I hope nobody unfriend me because of my ideas and opinions, but if you feel you must, then go for it.

That being said, my political stance this election was pretty simple; "Anyone but Trump please." I have my reasons that I'll state in a minute, I just want to say that Trump won and I acknowledge that. The people have spoken and he will be my next president. I hope he does the best he can for the country. I will respect him. I will stand by his good ideas, question his questionable ones, and be the best and most supportive citizen I can be.

All of this leads into the main reason I'm writing this. No matter what opinions and ideas people have, violence and hate are never okay with me, especially against fellow countrymen and women. The fact that Trump ran on a platform based around hate didn't sit well with me. The fact the people from both political sides wished harm and death upon each other makes me sad. We are one country, we need to support and understand each other. That's why it bring me a lot a pain to see people calling each other out, especially the protestors. I want people to realize that the people protesting aren't "babies" and they aren't "pussies" who need to "get over it, Trump won." Protests are a legitamate way to voice concerns in a very public way that is easy to get noticed. And I know a lot of you are thinking "We didn't protest when Obama won, why should they protest now?" I'll tell you why. Obama never threatened to take away peoples' civil rights. Obama never promoted or stood for openly descriminating against people. As much as you can say about Trump and defend him, he has done both of those. The protests are because people are scared of having rights taken away, or being descriminated against. These concerns are legit. These concerns are scary. How do I know this?
I've never been a fan of saying things on facebook, ever, but I feel that at this time it is important that I help people understand. I know how scary the Tump/Pence presidency can be because I am gay. I am who I am, no matter how hard I tried, or how hard I prayed, I can't change who I am, and I have grown to accept and take pride in myself. I admitted to myself that I was gay four or so years ago, and stopped hiding it about two years ago. I only mention it as it comes up, I don't feel the need to make a big deal about it, because it doesn't define me, it's just a small part that makes up who I am. I am so much more than my sexuality.

I have goals in life, and dreams. I hope that in the next four or so years I'll meet someone, settle down and get married. I hope to start a career, I want to do things, go places in life. I never considered the fact that I may have difficulties reaching for these dreams and goals because of the government, but with Trump/Pence winning the election, I'm starting to realize I may have been wrong. Trump has said he will consider appointing Supreme Court Justices that would undo marraige equality. Pence passed legislation is his state that allowed descrimination of LGBTQ+ people. A lot of the head honchos in the trump camp are extremely anti-LGBT. This tells me that even if I meet the man of my dreams in the next year or two, there's a change we won't be able to legally be married. It means I could start a career, and then one day be fired for the sole reason that I'm gay. It has also opened up the doors for people to be more vocally homophobic. I've already been called slurs and offensive words be people I thought liked and support me. It terrifies me to think about it.

So I can tell you first hand, the Trump presidency is scary. The people out protesting are just as scared if not more scared than I am. Instead of name calling, maybe we should reach out and try to understand each other, try to combat these fears, make sure they never become reality. We are so quick to judge and so slow to try to understand. Everyone has differenct concerns and fears, and they are all legit. We need to understand that, and understand each other. It saddens me to see people that care so little about their neighbor.

This leads to my last point, are all Trump supporters homophobic and racist? The easy answer is no. I've seen accusations thrown around, and fingers pointed. But people need to understand that when you were given two choices, both equally shitty, and you chose the one that puts peoples rights and well being in jeopardy, they are going to feel strongly about it. Anyone of my friends who voted for Trump, I can see why you did. I don't blame you, but I can tell you that it makes me feel as if my rights are expendable in your mind. It makes me feel as if you don't care about me, and other LGBT persons. It feels really awful. So when people blame you or call you racist or homophobic, we all know that you most likely aren't, but to a degree you do support it. The anger and dissapointment directed at you is legitamate. Just think about that please. I don't want to make you feel bad, I just want you to understand where people are coming from, and hopefully we can use this to combat any descrimination that may be brought up during this next presidency.

There's no telling what Trump will do, he may be the best president ever, he may treat LGBT people and minorities very well, but at this current state in time it looks to be the opposite, so please respect peoples' fears, and understand that they are real and legit. I've only hit on the fears and concerns I can share my insight on, I can't speak for women or minorities or anyone else who may feel scared by the new Pres. Just please think twice before calling someone out, think about where they might be coming from. Lets all understand each other so we can work towards one goal of not only making america great, but making the world a great place to live for everyone.

Thanks for reading, I hope it gives you a different look into some aspect of this voting season.
If any of you really need to reach me I'll be on facebook another day or two, then you can hit me up on instagram or snapchat, both @[name removed]. I love you all and appreciate everything that makes you all different and unique. embrace it.

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Thats where the post ends, I actually just think I'll write a really shortened version of that, and link my facebook to this page if anyone wants to read the full thing

Peace

4 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Sorry, spell check...arrrrgggg....
    I read an article recently. Trump said he will not go after Lgbt marriage, he said it's a done deal already and he will not mess with it. I think a lot of what Trump did was just to get people to pay attention to the fact that so many in the country are fed up with politicians who do nothing for the people. I am hopeful that Trump will be a better president than his campaign showed. I am hopeful.

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