January 20, 2017
January 20, 2009 brought us something that many people never
thought was possible. Quite frankly, I didn’t think that Obama was going to get
elected. Even though I was an eight year old at the time, I already had a
pretty strong grasp on what went on in our country. I had this little ruler
that I kept in my pencil box of all the 43 presidents. In case you didn’t know,
they were all white men. So that’s why when Obama got elected, I was filled
with a sense of optimism.
Now I’m trying to hold on to that optimism. Last night I was
procrastinating by watching a bunch of Obama videos. I was watching his last
press conference and of course he had that little bit where he said something
like ‘we will make it out alive’ and ‘I believe in this country’ bit that he
has always put in his speeches, but has emphasized even more since the
election. After Obama invited Trump to the White House, Obama said in a press
conference that he would give support to Trump and provide a peaceful transfer
of power. I get that. Obama is- was- the president. He had to say that or else
there would’ve been a lot of uproar. But for people who aren’t in those
positions of extreme influence, is that really the reaction to this?
I remember reading something that said that the opposite of
love is not hate, but it is indifference. And I keep on thinking what if Trump
does end up following up with his nasty policies such as deporting many
undocumented immigrants, having a Muslim registry, and ensuring law and order
(code for mass incarceration) in our inner cities? What happens when Roe v.
Wade is overturned and the EPA turns into the Environmental Destruction Agency
because Scott Pruitt doesn’t believe climate change is caused by human
activity? What happens to the people with preexisting conditions when Obamacare
is repealed? What happens to people on food stamps? What happens to people
fleeing violence from unstable countries, only to find that in America they are
hated by many?
Recently, I was scrolling through Trump’s twitter account
and I saw the horrible insult he said about John
Lewis, the Civil Rights icon who literally got his skull cracked while he
was peacefully protesting. And honestly, I wasn’t surprised. And I wasn’t shocked
when Trump refused to condemn the KKK or when he made fun of a disabled
reporter.
If Trump follows through with even half of what he had
promised, America is going to be a more hateful nation that alienates so many
people. I really hope that we won’t become indifferent.
