Take Your Broken Heart, Make it Into Art: Women React to Trump

Yesterday, Donald Trump was sworn in as President. Today, millions of people march in protest.

This is real. This is reality. This is scary.

I’ve had a lot of issues processing this, and I know others have too. So I asked two of my friends, coincidentally both named Alicia, to talk about their feelings. Because we needed an outlet, and who better than the internet.

We want people to listen. We want to people to read and share. We want to start a conversation. Together we can get through this.

It’s time for good trouble.

Alicia Christine: 

Last week I started reading the March trilogy by John Lewis. In the first book, Lewis mentioned Dr. King’s commitment to the “social gospel”; that the message and principles of Christianity (i.e “the gospel”) should be applied to social justice. The message of Christianity is that no matter who you are, what you have done, where you live, what color skin you have, what your gender is, where you are, that Jesus loves you. Dr. King took this message of love as well as the countless teachings of Christ and applied it to the world around him. Because I believe in Jesus, I already believed in “the social gospel” but something about reading the term and effect of “the social gospel” a week before the inauguration was encouraging to me. It was so inspiring, in fact, that I was shaking.

So when I read Trump’s insults of John Lewis last week, you’ll understand why I was both angry, afraid and discouraged. To say such blatantly incorrect, insulting comments about a Civil Rights leader on the eve of Dr.King’s birthday was freaking surreal. Doing this speaks volumes on Trump’s preparedness to lead a nation, his knowledge of history, his approach to race relations, and his character. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the only time I’ve thought “this speaks volumes…” when it comes to Trump. The timing of it all just stung me. I was so angry, in fact, that I was shaking.

Today, I woke up and remembered what was happening today. I felt dread and sadness. There’s not one ounce of me that has any excitement or patriotism today. I have not clicked on any articles or watched any coverage because I refuse to contribute to those ratings. I haven’t spent a lot of time on social media because it feels like everyone is fighting again. If the past two years are any indicator of Trump’s presidency, I am going to be angry, discouraged, shocked, and afraid many times in the next four years.

But I’m not despairing. The peace, hope, forgiveness and love that I find in the “gospel” portion of the “social gospel” counteracts my fear and discouragement and turns it into hope, motivation and empathy. I’m ready to take those counteractions and put them into action. I am not despairing. I am not despairing because of the following truth that I feel like we will all need to remember for the next four years:

“Mercy triumphs over judgement.”-James 2:4b.

Emily Miller (Me):

The love and admiration I have for Hillary Clinton is matched in passion only by the sheer hatred I have for Donald Trump. I have been a very loud critic of his, and now that he won, I’ve been asked what will I do with my hatred? His supporters have argued that he is the sitting president, and no one should wish ill will towards him.

I am not actively rooting against him. I want more than anything that this man, and his tiny hands, prove me wrong. I want him to be the Best President in our country’s history. But I will not be silenced into complacency just because he is the President. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

He should be held to the highest standard in the world because he represents all of us. I will not sit back and allow him to continue tweeting and bullying individuals and entities. I will continue to fight, I will continue to point out when he is wrong and unjust, and I will not give him my respect simply because his office demands that of me. He needs to earn that from me first.

Still, I attempted a sign of good will towards him. I watched his Inauguration in the hopes that he would prove me wrong.

He didn’t.

He said we should “Buy American. Hire American” when Trump Ties are still being produced in China.

He said over and over again, “America first” which goes against the ideas this country was founded on. “America first” was what politicians used as a rallying call to not intervene in WWII and help stop the Holocaust.

He dismissed and attacked Obama, a tactic usually exclusively reserved for campaign speeches.

He used a slew of negative words like “bleed,” “carnage,” “ripped,” “stealing,” “tombstones” and “trapped.” These words had never been used in an inauguration speech before.

What hit me the hardest was after his speech David Duke tweeted, “We did it! Congratulations Donald J. Trump President of the United States of America!”

It was the “we” that got me. David Duke was the President of the KKK, a white supremacist, and most despicable of all, a Holocaust denier.

And he said we did it.

I swear, I really tried to like Trump. It’s not my fault he already made a mockery of his job and our country in the first twenty minutes of office.

Alicia Whavers: 

On January 20th 2017, Donald Trump was inaugurated. I keep thinking “what does this mean”? No, honestly! What does this mean? Yes, everyone is up in arms about our future now that he is president. What will happen to health care? Social Security? Will the minimum wage rise? What about the state of our international relations? What is our relationship status with Russia? Friends? In a relationship? It’s complicated?! Is Taiwan our new side chick?

Everyone is talking about our future. That is the tag line on all the “Trump-Watch” footage. But what does this mean for us now? What does it mean that we allowed this man to attain such a state of power, that he is now our leader? I know, I know. I’m asking a lot of questions, but these questions need to be asked, and no one seems to want to provide the answers. Because we cannot talk about our future if we refuse to evaluate our present. And until we have the ability to travel into the future, we have to focus on the present (well, if we did travel to the future it would no longer be the future but the present…but it is the future of what we now call the present…so is the future only future because we are presently present…I’m going down a rabbit hole here).

Back to the present! Let’s evaluate our present, and do what the Baby Boomers seem to think Millennials do best: judge. Here’s a list of all of the things that I have learned about Trump as a person. Subjective? Yes. Factual? Definitely.

What I know about Donald Trump

1) He mocked a disabled reporter
2) He does not mind grabbing a woman by her genitals
3) He has referred to minorities in some of the most derogatory expressions I have ever heard
4) He believes that $1,000,000 is a small loan
5) Did not believe that Obama was a U.S. citizen (bonus points for Trump’s wife being from Russia)
6) Has stated that African Americans choose to live in a state of poverty and socio-economic inequality
7) Said the same thing about women
8) Speaking of women, heavily implied that he would have some sort of relations with his daughter if she wasn’t his daughter
9) Wanted to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico
10) Stated that Mexicans should pay to build said wall
11) Spoke at rallies and told the crowds that he promotes violence
12) Said that Hilary Clinton should be thrown in jail
13) Throws hissy fits on Twitter

I stopped because I realized that I could continue on in this fashion for a while. Now, supporters of Trump might be able to ignore these “trivial” (as those supporters would like to say) acts and qualities in the 46th president. Instead, they choose to go based off of what he said he will do. But I can only judge a man by what he has done. And there is absolutely nothing that Donald Trump can do to make me believe that he is a good person, let alone a good leader.

This man taking the presidential seat tells me that this country is looking to take major steps backwards. I have always tried to gauge the social climate of my country; I have to as a minority. I need to know what I am up against. And this election has given me a clear read out of our current state. And I am not liking what I am seeing.

I’m hearing you loud and clear America. You support a man whose bigotry is only equaled by his misogyny. Whose tolerance is thinner than his hair. Whose behavior is more akin to a 2nd grade student than a president of a country. He is our president. I didn’t vote for him, but I have to accept it all the same. Just like I have to accept that this is what America wants for a leader.

And if you don’t think this is what America wants, I want to hear it. I want to see it. I want to see America reject this new reign of governing that supports intolerance, prejudice, and inequality. Prove me wrong. Make me eat my words. America, put on your biggest smile, your best clothes, your fanciest shoes, and prove me wrong. Until you do that, I have to look at our bleak present, and prepare for an even bleaker future.

Why I’m Upset Over The Election Results; And Why That’s Okay

Two days after the election, and I’m still crying. I’m in mourning for Hillary. I’m grieving for my country. I’m scared of what’s to come. I’m afraid of what will happen to me.

My father was a history teacher and a town councilman, and he instilled in me a love of this country, an understanding of our past and the ability to comprehend The West Wing at an absurdly young age. I grew up watching the elections with an awed sense of reverence. It was exciting to watch our democracy work and I couldn’t wait to vote myself.

I remember one day when I was quite little asking my father if I could grow up to be President of the United States. He said of course I could, and went out and bought me a t-shirt that “future president of the USA.” I believed him that day and every day that followed after that.

Until two days ago that is.

Hillary Clinton lost the presidency of the United States, and she lost it to a less qualified, racist, sexist monster.

Donald Trump ran under the idea that he was a successful businessman. In actuality, he declared bankruptcy 6 times. And that doesn’t include all his business projects that just failed and did not declare bankruptcy. I’m listing them here in entirety because it’s funny and sad at the same time. (Tour de Trump!)

Trump Steaks
GoTrump (online travel site)
Trump Airlines
Trump Vodka
Trump Mortgage
Trump: The Game
Trump Magazine
Trump University
Trump Ice (bottled water)
The New Jersey Generals (pro football team)
Tour de Trump (bicycle race)
Trump Network (nutritional supplements)
Trumped! (syndicated radio spot)

Recently, I’ve been thinking of getting involved in politics, and when I’ve told people, I’ve gotten pretty much the same response. People first respond with that’s so sweet, followed swiftly by ‘but you have no experience.’ I point out that neither did Trump. They just laugh and say it’s different.

But wait, how is it? Seriously I want to know.

How is it revolutionary when we want to give the highest office in the land to a man with no experience, but we continuously chastised a woman for ‘being too prepared.’

It sounds like blatant sexism to me, but when I’ve said this, a lot of people disagreed with me and said I’m exaggerating.  So I held my tongue and anxiously awaited the results of the election. And now that they are in- I’ve learned a lot.

America is sexist. And it’s way more sexist than I ever imagined.

Was Hillary a perfect candidate? No.

But Donald Trump has had 10+ women come and out and say he sexually assaulted them, and recently had the Ku Klux Klan, one of the darkest parts of our history, come forward and endorse him because of his vision of the future.

This was when I started getting involved in her campaign. I broke past the lazy, uncaring millennial stereotype and did something. I donated time, effort and money. I campaigned for her, gave out signs, and called voters to get them to the polls. I felt incredible volunteering, and was more emotionally invested in this campaign then any other before this. I couldn’t wait to tell my kids that I worked on the campaign that helped elect the first woman president.

And yet on election night we still elected him as President.

I was broken. All I could think was how much does my country hate my sex that they could ignore everything about Trump? The White House was built by slaves. And the country elected a man repeatedly endorsed by the KKK. The White House was completed 216  years ago. How far have we really come in that time?

It’s sobering thoughts like that, that caused me to openly weep. I cried because for the first time in my life, I was truly disillusioned. I thought we were the greatest country in the world. I learned that we are not. And I haven’t been able to stop crying.

I’ve put up statuses across social media to share my grief with others. While most have been supportive, I’ve encountered a lot of negativity. I’ve had many people tell me that I have to “grow up” and “respect the decision of the country.” He’s “our president now and I need to learn to accept that.” I’ve been called a “millennial” “disrespectful” and a “spoiled fucking brat.”

EXCUSE ME?

I have shed many tears over this election, and I am not a spoiled fucking brat or some typical millennial. I wanted Hillary to win and I put my money where my mouth was. I put countless hours into her campaign. I got to know people on her staff and became emotionally invested in this campaign. And now, not only did my candidate lose, but she lost to the scariest human I have seen.

A candidate who said he likes to grab women by the pussy, and he can get away with it because he’s a star. He has referred to women as pigs and dogs and says he prefers us on our knees. He has said he is attracted to his daughter. He has been accused of rape. He has been married three times and cheated on all of his wives. And more than ten women have come forward and said he has sexually assaulted him. And he holds the highest office in the land.

I am a firm believer in representation and now men in this country can view this behavior as acceptable. As a 5’1, 100 pound blonde who has been harassed and attacked by men before, I am utterly terrified to exist in this new world. And I am not alone.

It’s not that I’m throwing a tantrum like a spoiled child because I didn’t get the toy I wanted. I am crying out of fear and anguish. I am upset and hurting, and I just need a few days to mourn. I cannot fathom how someone can’t comprehend that basic human need.

While Trump and his supporters are upset about protesters, I am upset that Ku Klux Klan will be marching in victory in a few day’s time. I am upset that people are trying to make me feel guilty for expressing my right to free speech. I am angry that our society was this stupid to fall for this racist, sexist con artist’s words. And I am mad at myself for being bullied into being afraid.

I’ve kept a lot of my opinions to myself because I was told I had to be a good girl. I didn’t want to argue about politics because it seemed petty and silly. Well I am done with that. I will never again be afraid to use my voice. My beliefs are too important to me.

So now I fight. Because three year old Emily believed she could be President. And I don’t want to tell her she’s wrong.