By Michael Battista
Initially, I wasn’t going to write this.
After the election, I withheld my strong opinions since it would come off as one-sided and biased. However, more and more news outlets have recently come out with their reactions to the 2016 election. This has left me feeling so fed up that I need to say, “Enough is enough.”
Both parties, Democrats and Republicans did not help with the situation in this country with their actions after the election and frankly, I’m worried about what the future holds.
On one side, we have the anti-Donald Trump protests that broke out around the country right after Trump’s win over Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, Nov. 8, going into the early morning of Wednesday, Nov. 9. The chant of “Not my President” and claims that “Hate and sexism won the election” filled not only the streets of many cities around the country, but on social media, as well.
Trump won fairly. He didn’t stage an armed takeover of the White House and he didn’t cheat to win — he won exactly how each and every other president of the United States has won.
While I understand the anger, this is the same exact thing Trump supporters would have done if he had lost, and several news outlets and people on social media were critical of this in weeks before the election. Now, theese people find themselves doing exactly what they criticized.
The world doesn’t stop simply because your candidate lost. You don’t need to cry in the street and make it seem as though you are actually going to die.
On his first show after the election, late night personality Conan O’Brien tried to reassure the country with a sincere, and comedic, message.
“In the last few years I’ve travelled to a bunch of countries, Cuba, Armenia, the Middle East, where the people would give anything — anything — to have our system,” O’Brien said. “In America, we get to pick who’s going to ruin our country.”
All joking aside, he is right. We got to choose who would run this country and America chose Trump. We all need to respect that choice.
That’s not to say if he does something horrible we can’t criticize and try to get rid of him, but we can’t claim murder until someone is dead.
On the other hand, you have the Trump supporters and their recent #BoycottHamilton on Twitter. But, what does this accomplish?
Once again, we live in the U.S. and because of this, the cast of the Broadway musical “Hamilton” had the opportunity to speak after their performance as the Vice President-elect Michael Pence sat in the crowd.
Was it the right thing to do? That’s subjective.
Was it appropriate? Once again that’s subjective, but to the actors it would make sense due to the fact that the play centers around Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies. Then again, it could be argued that Pence didn’t deserved to be “attacked” in the theater as he sat with his family. If people want to use the term “safe space” in 2016, it works both ways and it can be argued that was his.
But in the end, yelling and complaining in the streets outside of the Richard Rodgers Theatre is not accomplishing anything and only gives off the message of not accepting others’ ideas.
The fact that Trump’s people are trying to say this “attack” on Pence was horrible and they shouldn’t have done it clearly shows that both sides just want to fight. That scares me — and also gives me hope that it will be easier for me to find a ticket to “Hamilton.”
Americans, you have the First Amendment to let people know how you feel, but that doesn’t mean you always should.
To the anti-Trump groups: While you may all have reasons — some very serious — about not liking Trump, you need to accept he is your president. People have died for our ability, our right, to vote and the way it comes off by saying you don’t accept it seems like a slap in the face.
To the Trump supporters and those who are boycotting a Broadway show for the views of its performers: You need to accept not everyone shares your views. This movement only seems to have the end goal of division, something our country just can’t afford to do right now.
So please, if you do take anything from this, please let it be acceptance. Understand and don’t hate, and remember that we get the chance to live in a country with boundless opportunity many others don’t have.
During his show, O’Brien also quoted the great Winston Churchill. In a speech given at The House of Commons in November of 1947, Churchill said, “No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
