Opinion

Misdirected Trump rhetoric will lead to more division

By Emily Steates '19

Tags opinion

Denouncing Donald Trump was an ap- propriate way to express one’s opinions dur- ing the presidential race. However, Trump has since secured a disappointing yet fair victory. Spreading hateful messages against Donald Trump himself will be insufficient to produce progress for groups of society who felt victimized by his campaign. It is important to note that while Trump did run a campaign founded on the discrimination of immigrants, women, people of color, LG- BTQI members, Muslims and the disabled, it was ultimately individuals in our country (nearly half of theAmerican electorate) who lead his subsequent victory. Hateful mes- sages against our future president, whether they are spread through protest, conversa- tion, or even a post on Facebook, ultimately willunderminetheobjectiveofinclusionthat most non-Trump supporters seek to achieve.

Protesters from across the country have engagedinhateful, sometimes violentrallies against Trump since his victory. According to the New York Times, 300 protesters gath- ered in Portland and began to chant “f*** Trump,” block oncoming traffic, and even burn American flags in the aftermath of the election. Additionally, in Seattle, protesters blocked a main road and set trash bins on fire. Similar “f*** Trump” protests took place all over the country,including Oregon, California and Pennsylvania.

These protests will prove to be large- ly ineffective, primarily because they are targeting the wrong problem. Trump may have illuminated inequality and intoler- ance within our country, but he certainly was not the cause of it. While we may feel compelled to attack Trump’s character in the days and weeks following the election, the overwhelming support that he acquired indicates that the root of the problem is not with Trump as an individual, but rather with our society as a whole. Chanting expletives at our future president will do nothing to improve the lives of our friends and family members who have been marginalized.

Hateful messages can only usurp the goals of non-Trump supporters. Not only do they target the wrong issue, but they also perpetuatethesamefalsestereotypesthatled to Trump’s victory. For example, Trump’s campaign proposed that immigrants were violent and anti-American. Burning the American flag and disrupting communities through fire and traffic blockages will only preserve these false stereotypes.

Now more than ever, we need to unify ourcountrytoworktowardstoleranceandin- clusion. This cannot be accomplished, how- ever, if we ourselves spread disruption. The first step to eliminating hate in our country is to show solidarity to marginalized groups. Solidarity could be expressed in elaborate ways, such as engaging in organized protest or through simple interactions with minori- ties in our everyday lives.

I feel that the “Our Power” rally con- ducted on campus this Tuesday was very successful at accomplishing these goals. Hundreds of Hamilton students and com- munity members peacefully marched to the town of Clinton, ending in the Village Green where a community discussion took place. The Facebook event page successfully out- lined the group’s objective: “this march is to show solidarity as an institution. This is for our friends, peers, professors, and staff members that are feeling attacked by this decision. This is for disadvantaged com- munities, Muslims, immigrants, women, the disabled, LGBTQI folk and all People of Color.” These goals were restated at the beginning of the march and remained con- sistent throughout the rally.

At one point in the rally, a protester near me began chanting “f*** Trump.” He was promptly reminded by another protester, “This is not an anti-Trump rally. We are marching in solidarity.” The group’s strict adherence to its original purpose was both reassuring and effective.

The“OurPower”rallyisamodelofhow these protests should be conducted. Hateful messages against Trump will not accom- plish our goals of inclusion. Chanting “f*** Trump” will not convince his supporters to be more tolerant of minorities. Needlessly halting traffic will not halt discrimination against Muslims. Burning trashcans will not melt away misogyny. Hate is hate, no matter who it is targeting.

Trump is our next president, whether we like it or not. Now is not the time to condemn our country, but rather to work together with everyone, including Trump and those who supported him throughout the election process, to create a more in- clusive environment. We cannot solve hate by spreading hate ourselves. The only way to initiate the process of change within our country is to stand by in solidarity of those who have been alienated.

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