Blog Post 5

This post is a response to class on Wednesday and how my thoughts about the election have changed since then.
The time to mourn our country is over; I think we all have the wrong attitude. As much as I hated Trump and genuinely loved Hillary, it no longer matters. At this point, we must learn to work with what we have-- even if what we have is a misogynistic, racist, orange bigot. This election was maybe the single most divisive event through which I have lived; there are two clear groups in our country, and each claims to hate the other more. But no matter how difficult it will be, I still think that we must, at least try, to mend the rift that is splitting the country. Yes, many people on the other side of the abyss are racist homophobes, but we are Americans above all of our political affiliations. There must be some way for us to work together no matter how infinitely and strongly we disagree. I have finished wallowing in a national self-pity, for we must organize. The White House and Congress have been dyed a bright and alarming shade of red, the Judiciary branch soon to follow-- so we must orchestrate movements of progression because waiting for four years to end in silence is surely catastrophic. We must be proactive in standing up for what we believe in instead of letting a leader commandeer full control (which could never happen anyway). The progressive advances that we have made in the past are all but lost-- we must keep fighting as a country. I say this, but it still worries me deeply that a man won an election on the platform of racism and sexism-- what does that say about our country? Today, however, I looked at another projected electoral map for if only people ages 18-25 voted. Hillary had an overwhelming victory, winning by hundreds of votes. In the wake of something so seemingly disastrous, this gives me hope.