I Said I Was Quitting Facebook-My Reaction to the 2016 Presidential Election Results

An essay describing my struggle and newfound hope after learning that Donald Trump was elected as the next President of the United States.

A few days ago I said I was leaving Facebook. That was the morning of Wednesday November 9th, the day I learned Donald Trump had been elected President of the United States. Upon hearing the election results, I immediately turned off my TV, announced my departure on Facebook, and logged out of YouTube. The thoughts that raced through my head as I disconnected myself from the world were along the lines of, “How could this have happened? How could so many people believe Donald Trump was the most qualified candidate? Do people really not care about all the awful things he’s done and said? Could I have done something to prevent this?”

Feeling the need to be dramatic, I decided to wear all black clothing that day in order to, “mourn America.” I went on to unsubscribed from the email lists of every charitable organization I have ever donated to and every progressive institution that has ever asked me to sign an online petition. I refused to talk to anyone about the election results and walked away from any political discussions taking place around me. And though I normally make the effort to separate my recyclables, that day I threw them away with the regular trash. My reasoning for all this drama was that if so many people in this country were willing to abandon the virtues of humility, honesty, and basic human decency by voting for a man who embodies none of these virtues, why should I care either?

This kind of thinking exacerbated the feelings of loneliness and the stress of medical school I was already dealing with at the time. It was this combination of emotions that brought me to one of the lowest points of my life: when I lied down on my couch and started crying. All I wanted was to give up. I wanted to stop caring and stop trying so hard. It felt like my entire world had been turned upside down. I was forced to confront the fact that I was wrong. That most people in the United States do not share the same beliefs as I do and there are always going to be people with whom I disagree on key issues.

The reason I gave for my departure from Facebook was that I had, “some things to figure out.” While this was part of my reason, I now realize my true motivation was fear. I was afraid of being confronted with a reality I wanted to not be true. I left Facebook because I didn’t want to see people argue over the election and prop up their chosen system of belief as the only correct system of belief. I turned off my TV because I didn’t want to see pundits and news heads attempt to rationalize what had just happened through the lens of sensationalism and polarization. I logged off of YouTube because I didn’t want to be bombarded by comedians cracking jokes about the world ending or liberals sharing the most racist things they could find from the social media accounts of Trump supporters. It was fear that brought me to tears on that couch.

After the tears were gone, however, and I realized that no one was going to reach out and tell me that I was right and everyone else was wrong, I pulled myself off the couch, wiped off my face, and started accepting the world as it is. Faced with either despair or hope, I chose hope.

In the four days since hearing the election results, I have donated to five different charities, signed several online petitions, given blood, volunteered at a Veteran’s Day event to raise awareness about veteran suicide, attended all of my classes, participated in a potluck dinner with 50 of my peers, worked out at the gym, and spent time studying for an upcoming exam.

As I write this reactionary essay, I stand firm in my choice to carry on with renewed passion in my life. I refuse to let an election result I disagree with turn me into a cynic who’s convinced everyone else is stupid and wrong. Nor will I become a nihilist who’s convinced nothing matters beyond my own selfish desires.

I want to be clear, however, that I am determined to not let my experience radicalize me into a close-minded leftist either. One of the things I hoped to figure out by leaving Facebook was what could have motivated people to vote for Trump despite his many flaws. Before recently, I never took time to consider how truly frustrated many Americans are. Even though nationwide rates of unemployment have gone down, factories and coal mines across the country continue to shut down and lay off workers every day. While the rate of uninsured Americans has gone down, many people still either can not afford or can not access the medical care they need. And even though violent crime in this country has been in decline for years, and even though the United States has the largest and best funded military in the world, the news media chooses to fill their time slots with stories about police shootings and radical Muslims in the hopes of increasing their viewership. All the while, the opioid epidemic had been tearing apart families living within this nation’s most vulnerable communities.

The people most affected by these inequities are the ones who, feeling ignored or forgotten by politicians and Washington insiders, sought an outsider who appealed to their desire to feel safe and secure once again. Donald Trump filled the role of this outsider by acknowledging, and sometimes provoking, these people’s fears and promising to bring America back to better times. People were willing to overlook the man’s many flaws and inconstancies so long as he kept telling them that he was going to restore jobs and make them safe again.

I would encourage progressives who have written off Trump supporters as ignorant or racist to reconsider. Take the time to actually speak with Trump supporters and try to understand their viewpoint. Learn from their opinions with the goal of informing and expanding your own opinions. For the most part, these people are not racist, sexist, xenophobes, intent on installing a fascist state. They are our neighbors, our coworkers, our family members, and under the constitution they have the same right to form their own opinions as everyone else. Don’t allow yourself to become ignorant by assuming the ignorance in others.

To anyone who, like me, has considered giving up hope for a more progressive future for this country, don’t. Don’t forget that recreational marijuana is now legal in eight states whereas it was legal in zero states only a few years ago. Don’t forget that there are more women and more people of color in legislative positions than ever before. Don’t forget that same-sex marriage is legal in every state and over half of the population supports keeping it that way. And most importantly, don’t forget what life is like for people born in countries like North Korea or Syria where they would give anything to be able to vote in free and open elections. While those who support progressive policies will view the election of Donald Trump as a step backward, that is no excuse to abandon those policies altogether.

Now is not the time for American citizens to turn on each other and try to blame anything bad that happens during the next four years on people with opposing viewpoints. Now is the time for all Americans (Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and Progressives) to be on the look out for any laws, executive orders, or court rulings that attempt to violate the basic constitutional rights of any citizen regardless of their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. It is our duty to speak out and oppose such injustice wherever or whenever it happens and to whomever it happens. Stand up to any bullies that try to make others feel bad for being born different than them. Criticize any frauds or charlatans who try to profit from people’s ignorance and insecurity. Defend the institutions that provide valuable services to the disabled or disadvantaged. Keep doing your part to help the environment and support renewable energy. Donate your time, money, and voice to causes that seek to make the world a more tolerant, safe, and informed place.

Like it or not, Donald Trump is going to be the president of the United States. From personal experience, I have learned that giving up will not make the next four years any more bearable nor will trying to deny reality make them any more productive. Humility, honesty, and basic human decency are still worthwhile virtues. Human rights,progressive ideals, and the environment will always need to be defended. I am not giving up on my belief in progressive ideals nor my belief in the innate capacity for good within human beings. With a wiser, more complete understanding of the world, I choose to still commit myself to spreading truth, fighting injustice, and defending the rights of all human beings regardless of their race, religion, gender, or orientation. I have hope that others will do the same.

Reviews

[J. Austin Gentry]

This was good therapy writing for you. You had to know that Democratic policies for a straight 12 year period would have been the peril of this great country. I would suggest you would join the military if you have the sac for it. Some men do not.