After a long and exhausting day from work and school, Robert, my Uber driver, talked politics. I was in a carpool with two other passengers, and he initiated a conversation about President Trump’s Inauguration. “I am surprised there are no protestors out here tonight; maybe it’s a little late in the evening,” said Robert. “Well, they were protesting at my school today,” I responded.
On Jan. 20, 2017, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) students stand in solidarity while chanting, “No Trump. No KKK. No Fascist USA!”
“It’s an inconvenience. Do you think Mr. Trump cares? It’s not like he is going to step down,” exclaimed the millennial. “Probably not. He is currently residing peacefully in the White House,” I said.
Honestly, that was not what I wanted to say to Robert. It was 10:00 p.m. on a Friday night. All I wanted to do was get home and curl up in bed, and I was not in the mood to talk about politics or cause trouble.
After I arrived home safely, I posted a Facebook status about the encounter with him.
My Facebook friends had mixed reactions. My post has been liked 21 times. Two friends were angry that this happened, there were 17 comments, and only one saw the situation from a different angle.
To be honest, I don’t entirely disagree with my friend. I agree that we should stand together and the presidency is inconvenient. I strongly believe that this is a race issue because it can influence how you view the world. The Democratic National Convention (DNC) also played a role on the outcome of the election.
Minorities, primarily, are targeted because we don’t look like, share the same cultural values, or come from the same roots as our president even though we are “American”. I find people selfish and ignorant for complaining about their commute taking a little longer than usual. It’s like, “I am so sorry you have to go through this, but that is the least of my concerns compared to what is happening as we are speaking (i.e. people are being detained at the airports, healthcare is no longer affordable to approximately 90% of the population, and the list goes on. Then we have millennials who are complaining about their commute times; America is known for freedom of speech, people should be able to go on the streets and peacefully protest what is happening, and all protestors know that this not going to be easy. So, hearing someone tell you that ‘Mr. Trump doesn’t care’ is not only unsupportive but they are too privileged to see outside of their bubble what others are coping with.”
Based on what I am seeing in the 21st century, we are NOT one people, and I strongly disagree that all races will suffer. Obviously, we will all suffer at some degree, but there are those who will be suffering more.
Lastly, when people blame this on the voter turnout is what makes me mad; the entire election was a close race. People like my mother came out to vote for the first time ever in her life, I consistently voted as soon as I turned 18, and my father finally voted for the first time since Ronald Reagan – so what? The elections are as rigged as the DNC, the people’s vote does not matter compared to the electoral college. It is a slap in the face to hear that because I volunteered several hours and days to help get out the vote, convince my friends and family to vote, and I am already traumatized by the outcome. Unfortunately, this is the sad reality that we live in.
Although my values do not align with President Trump, I want to congratulate him. Many individuals doubted him throughout his campaign, and despite the criticism he received, he never gave up.
Shirley Perry 