This is no time for hatred and anger

Gabe Rivera

In the aftermath of the historic presidential election of 2016, one has to think that there is definitely something wrong with the core of American society today.

On Nov. 8, the United States elected Donald J. Trump to be the leader of the free world. The same Trump that has been shoveling his toxic rhetoric of racism, sexism, and ethnocentrism to the American public for what seems like an eternity.

What should our reactions be?

People have taken to the streets across the nation to march against a Trump presidency. Chants of “F*** Donald Trump!” and “Not my president!” echoed throughout these protests. Social media channels are filled with frightened reactions from minorities and others expressing their fear of what Trump is capable of doing.

Reaction from world leaders has been mixed, with all of them remaining respectful and politically correct, but an undertone of hesitancy can clearly be sensed.

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas tweeted, “The world won’t end, but things will get more crazy,” while his colleague, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, told Reuters the result was a “huge shock.”

French President Francois Hollande said Trump’s victory marks the start of “a period of uncertainty.” “This new context requires that France be strong,” he said in a televised address. “What is at stake is peace, the fight against terrorism, the Middle East and the preservation of the planet.”

One world leader that is happy with the results is Russian President Vladimir Putin. He reportedly offered Trump his congratulations, and “expressed confidence that the dialogue between Moscow and Washington, in keeping with each other’s views, meets the interests of both Russia and the U.S.,” Russia Today reported. A shining endorsement for the president-elect.

Mexico’s Foreign Relations Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu said her country was willing to “modernize” the North American Free Trade Agreement, AFP reports. This is a stark contrast to when she said a Trump presidency would be worse than a “hurricane.” Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also expressed his openness to renegotiate NAFTA with Trump.

So while the world’s leaders are willingly beginning to prepare for a Trump presidency, the American people sit by in shock and dismay hoping for a Hail Mary to save the day. There is still a very small possibility for Hillary Clinton to win the presidency.

According to the Constitution, chosen electors of the Electoral College are the “real” people who will vote for president when they meet on Dec. 19 in their respective state capitals. It is a long shot, as Clinton would need more than 20 GOP electors to go rogue and vote for her instead. These defectors are called “faithless electors.” But, over 99 percent of electors throughout American history have voted as pledged, according to an analysis done by The New York Times.

It was widely known that Clinton was not a great candidate. Many of us who voted for her had previously been “Feelin the Bern” and voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders. But Trump is a cancer that is already spreading throughout our nation. Reports are rolling in of individuals experiencing threats of violence, deportation, and misogyny. There were two disturbing incidents on San Diego college campuses.

Anti-Semitic and hateful graffiti — which included a red painted swastika and the words “Heil Trump” –were found at a main transit stop near UCSD. And at San Diego State, a Muslim student wearing a hijab reported that two men made comments about Mr. Trump and Muslims and robbed her, an incident being investigated as a hate crime.

Is this the America you envisioned for 2016 and beyond?

To make matters worse, former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke celebrated Trump’s win on Twitter on election night. “This is one of the most exciting nights of my life – make no mistake about it, our people have played a HUGE role in electing Trump!” Or this tweet: “Donald J. Trump now has the chance to become one of the greatest Americans to have ever lived – we have the moral high ground, 100%!”

These are the kind of comments that come out when a hate-mongering bigot is elected to the office of president of the United States.

Despite the sudden outpour of hatred, it is not time to yell and be angry but to come together in peace for the better of humanity. Let’s not usher ourselves back to a time when civil rights was just a privilege for white people. There might not be a way to get rid of Trump but we can fight the hate with love. Don’t give in to the dark side. It will only darken our future that much more.