America was tested in the recent presidential election, and I won’t be the first to argue that we failed. I don’t say that as a member of any party, or because of any particular policy, but I believe our country chose someone to lead that most of us would never welcome into our own home.
I’ve struggled a great deal this week with how any friend or family member could choose to elect a man, in Donald Trump, so devoid of any morals, a man who truly represents the worst of America.
You can disagree with me. You can argue he was the lesser of two evils. You are entitled to your opinion.
You can say people voted on the economy. Recovering from COVID, there’s no question that gas, grocery and rent prices are higher, and people are struggling. I’m not denying that either.
I believe America was on the path to recovery, perhaps it just wasn’t happening as fast as some had hoped.
Life isn’t a one-hour reality show, unfortunately. Things take time.
I have always had a Pollyanna view of the world, and it’s hard to reconcile that outlook on life with the outcome of this election.
It’s hard to believe that we endorsed a candidate willing to lie, cheat, and yes, even assault women, and still allow that individual to be elected to the most powerful position in our country. What example are we setting for future generations?
It’s even harder to believe that anyone could think this self-centered man is God or believe saving him was some kind of divine intervention. If God would intervene to save this man, why would he not intervene to save a firefighter? Or is our God willing to sacrifice one man for the greater good? Is that what we should believe? Why would this same God then not intervene before a school shooting where innocent schoolchildren die? If this was the action of a God, it’s not one I could ever support.
Two days ago, as I set to write this column, I was ready to figuratively burn the house down. I’ve been told stories over the years, and I’m ashamed of the racism, White privilege and homophobia, in many of them.
Even harder to swallow is that things that you thought mattered to your circle – kindness, respect, truth, safety, fairness and equity – cannot be as significant to them as it is to you.
People usually put their best faces forward, but in this election, they were willing to turn and look the other way saying his “personality” did not concern them.
People were willing to look the other way when a presidential candidate lied, and worse, did so when our nation was facing a national crisis due to damage from Helene. Despite some of their own experiences with rape and assault, they chose to vote for someone who routinely disparages and objectifies women and has been found liable for sexual abuse.
The president-elect has mocked a disabled reporter and made jokes at the expense of a potential vice president’s disabled son. He’s called white-nationalist protesters “fine people,” made promises to pardon violent protesters who assaulted law enforcement, mischaracterized and demeaned the trans and LGBTQ+ communities, called poor people “morons” and referred to veterans who gave their lives as “suckers and losers.”
He’s suggested that those who disagree with him should be “roughed up” or punished by death or prison. Put me behind bars. It won’t change my opinion.
He’s used his pulpit to generate personal wealth selling NFTs, gold shoes, Bibles produced in China, watches and more.
This is our president, America, and our choice is nothing to be proud of.
You can argue that my point of view is simply sour grapes, because I am upset that the Democrat lost the election. There’s no question that I am disappointed, devastated, in fact. But you are wrong if you think it had anything doing with the Democrat losing; just the opposite. It had to do with America’s choice.
I will continue to question where I came from, and how I became the person I am today. But I won’t ever again question where I’m headed or the future I believe in.
I have more purpose and am driven now more than ever to create a path for a better world. I plan to spend more time with people who feel the same way and less time with those who don’t.
In the weeks leading up to the election, I didn’t sleep. I was consumed with worry that this man would be elected again. My husband said to me, and if he does, you will get up the next day and continue on with your life.
He’s not wrong. That’s exactly what I did.
When I felt angry and didn’t want to smile at the person at the grocery store or wave at a passing Jeep after the election, he showed me that it’s OK to remain kind, opening the door for a person behind him and chatting casually with a cashier.
In the aftermath of the election, I have learned from his example.
It is true, perhaps, as one of my friends has asserted, that most people who voted did not intend to hurt their fellow Americans with their vote. I can concede this is possible.
One could say that I shouldn’t be hurt by the outcome of the election. I’m White, heterosexual and financially independent. There is truth to this.
And yet, I find myself crying not in my own self-interests but for friends with cis and trans children or those who identify as LGBTQ+, for women who have been raped or assaulted, for Black and Brown people who feel they no longer belong here. The list is long.
It’s going to take time to process this. I know I am not alone in my grief.
I won’t allow anyone to say there is something wrong with me. I’m OK being the “black sheep” if it means I am the person I am. I’m proud of who I am, what I stand for and who I love and support.
I am disappointed in America. I thought we were better than this. Trump is not God. He was not saved by God. We were tested by pure evil, and we failed.
There is little we can do to give comfort to minorities, LGBTQ+, and women in general, in the aftermath of an election defined by hate and fear and white supremacy.
Despite this, I won’t give up. We won’t give up. I have hope for a better tomorrow.
“The light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting,” Kamala Harris said in her concession speech Wednesday. “The important thing is don’t ever give up. Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place.
“You have power.”
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Crystal Graham
