It is almost here — the day that has dominated social media, news channels and even interpersonal communication for months on end — Election Day.
Undoubtedly, many people will be relieved when the election is over and tensions die down, but as we all know, this is in some ways only the beginning. While we will have done our work by voting, the person we elect will lead our country for the next four years.
That is why, even though it is late in the game and opinions may be seemingly set in stone, we should all take one last chance to look at the issues we really care about. This is the last chance we have to really look at who best represents not only the issues we care about for ourselves, but also the issues that affect all Americans. It is the latter type which I wish to focus on.
It will always remain important to vote on issues that affect us personally. After all, we all have different identities, and we want a candidate who will care about the specific issues we relate to.
What I find troubling is that Donald Trump truly only represents the interests of a small group of people, mainly white men. Others may argue, but as a woman, I strongly believe that in the very least, he does not represent my interests.
On equally alarming levels though, Trump has showed dangerous attitudes toward many other groups: the disabled, the LGBT community, Muslims and Mexicans, to name a few.
As a white female, I openly admit that I have been granted some privilege that others have not had access to. In many ways, I have been able to avoid struggles that others are forced to face.
If I wanted to vote for Trump, his attitude on women would probably affect me. But if I wanted to, I could more easily ignore his treatment of other groups that I don’t identify with.
Do we want to be passive in this way? Weren’t we told from a young age that we are supposed to care for other people beside ourselves?
I always try to remind myself that the situation I was born into was really entirely random. I was born in a Minnesota suburb, but others were born into war zones. These are not choices we make, and it’s okay to acknowledge others have it worse than us.
One thing I have noticed when talking with others about oppression or racism is that some people feel that acknowledging their own privilege will somehow take away from their own hard work.
Acknowledging privilege does not mean that one didn’t go through difficulties or work their butt off to get where they are in life. It just means that, depending on certain social factors, they may have been able to avoid certain systematic obstacles that others simply can’t avoid. We should not be blind to what others face.
I watched Trump mock a disabled person on stage, and my heart broke for disabled individuals. I watched him jab at the family of a deceased Muslim Veteran, and my heart broke for Muslims. I heard him talk about grabbing a woman’s genitals without her consent, and my heart broke for women.
If Trump is elected, my heart will break for our nation. I urge everyone to take a moment to really consider: who does this man represent? Because I do not think he represents the lovely melting pot that has been part of our fabric for centuries.
sdloughr@indiana.edu
