Politics is a very polarising topic, and this is not something which needs to be said. Over the course of human civilization, there have always been disputes and arguments about politics. What is the best way to rule, what is the best way to take care of people, the best way to live, etc. Alongside that comes a plethora of bigotry, hatred, and fear of what people do not understand. America, since its foundation, has been a pinnacle of such philosophies. 

So, it comes as absolutely no surprise to me that Donald Trump won this election. Trump’s reelection is emblematic of the puritanical, bigoted, and absolutely vile rhetoric that has lived on in this country since its birth. And none of it is surprising. It’s depressing, but not surprising. 

However, let me also establish that I do not believe for a moment that Kamala Harris would have been all the better for us. From her refusal to even ACKNOWLEDGE Palestinians during her campaign to her catering to Centrists and Moderate Republican voters, she wouldn’t have left us much better. The Democrats campaigned on anti-trans policy as well. And a part of me highly doubts she would have done any of the things she said she would. We know this because Biden hasn’t.  

The Democrats refuse to play dirty, even when Republicans do. We could have easily had Biden appoint more Democrats in the Supreme Court or done anything else to help level the playing field for Trump’s upcoming presidency, but nope. In fact, the only thing Biden has done to “abuse” his power is pardon his son, a selfish act when he could have done literally anything else. It speaks to the level of cowardice and spinelessness that embodies the Democratic party. 

I would also like to call out people for an attitude I’ve noticed a lot in my fellow peers and in, let’s be honest, white spaces. An attitude of “I don’t like politics”/”I don’t think about politics.” This tells me one thing: You are able to comfortably ignore the injustices in this country because it doesn’t impact you, and this is extremely privileged of you. Mind, this doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person nor does this necessarily have to be true of you specifically, but it does send that message. A message which, as a person of several intersectionality of minorities, I find to be extremely cynical and dismissive of the plight of many peoples. “But I’m not racist/sexist/bigoted! I just don’t like politics!” Tough shit. Life doesn’t revolve around you. There are other people in the world who need your attention and help, and this American idea of “fuck you, got mine” needs to die a painful and gruesome death. I don’t know how to explain to you that you need to care about other people. 

“Politics divides us! We shouldn’t be divided! Why are so many people arguing and getting angry and losing family and friends?! Why should we hate each other for differences in opinion?!” First of all, it’s not “just an opinion,” it’s the lives of millions of people. Seriously, google “Project 2025” and then come back to me with this idea of “We shouldn’t be arguing!” Trump’s presidency promises actual fascism, and if you are fine with that, then yeah, sorry, but I’m going to think you are a fascist too because you are comfortable with fascism.  

The irony with being neutral is that if you are neutral, you are just as bad as the people who want to kill minorities. Second, people are divided not because of a difference of opinion, but because of the reality that we could see mass deportation, deaths, and removal of protections for minorities such as the LGBTQ+ community, interracial marriage, women’s bodily autonomy, and disabled people. Countless people could and will be left vulnerable thanks to policies which the Republican party wishes to introduce. And for my fellow student teachers reading this, Trump wants to get rid of the Department of Education as well. 

If you are frightened or alarmed by my use of terms like “fascist” or “fascism” to describe Trump and his policies, and are wondering if I’m stretching the definition, no. I’m not. Hitler started out doing the exact same things, suggesting mass deportation of Jews and other “undesirables,” before slowly building up to death camps. Trump and his cronies are just repeating the tactics of the Nazi party almost a hundred years ago. “We have to fix the economy and we’re gonna do that by removing the Jews” is basically what Trump and the people he works with platforms on, but substitute undocumented immigrants and other minorities for Jews. This is frightening because the comparison is absolutely true. 

If there are any moderate Republicans still reading this, I appreciate you reading all of this. I’m angry and, I believe, justifiably so. Your party hasn’t been kind to people like me. And let’s be honest, Trump won’t fix the economy. He will only make the rich richer and the poor poorer and cause so much harm to countless working, poor families across this country. If you live off any social support programs (which, by the way, is a socialist concept), Republicans want to cut that. But if you are still reading this, then you probably haven’t been brainwashed into believing that Trump is a god of some kind. But other than that, figure out what’s more important to you: people’s lives or your own bigotry and wallet. 

If you have relatives who voted for Trump, start confronting them. Start shit. Don’t sit there silently. It’s time to rock the fucking boat. Passivity has allowed fascists to come to power. Stop letting people get away with this horseshit, especially if you are white. You have a duty to help your fellow Americans in any way you can. I know it sounds like I’m pissed at you specifically, and I’m not, but you need to start stepping up more, especially those of you who are fence-sitters (politically ambivalent or neutral). 

Now, I didn’t just go on a whole preamble about politics and political fence-sitting for nothing. So… What’s my point here? What do we do now? 

If we want to make any meaningful change in this country and in the world, we need to organize. We need to start fighting on a local scale. We need to start asking questions about what we want to see happening in our communities. Join a local organization or start a union at your place of work. Talk about social justice issues. We cannot rely on Democrats (or Republicans) to fix our problems. This two-party system, and the electoral college, are broken. Both the Democrats and the Republicans need to go. Neither side actually gives a single shit about the working class, about you and your loved ones. If you don’t know where to start, here are some resources and suggestions for what you can do: 

• Start a renter’s union. If you rent, talk to your fellow tenants about starting a union in your apartment complex for housing equity. How do I do this? Here you go. 
• Start a union at your place of work. If you are not in a union and work at a job, start talking to your colleagues about unionizing. How do I do that? Here you go. Also, know your rights. 
• Join local mutual aid groups or support communities. This can be for a variety of different things such as Housing Insecurity, Food Insecurity, LGBTQ+ Support Groups, Mental Health Organizations, Abortion Donation Funds, etc. If there isn’t one around you, start one. How do I do that? Here you go.
• Join your local United Way. What is United Way? Here is all the info you need: https://www.unitedway.org/ 
• Read. Read. Read!!! Educate yourselves about global conflicts, history, etc. PLEASE educate yourselves about Palestine and Sudan. If you want to get involved in helping Palestinians and making Vermont an Apartheid Free Community (AFC), the Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation (VCPL) is a local organization that provides education and campaigns for AFC. If you are curious about this, here is their website. https://www.vermontcpl.org/ 
• Start talking to people outside of your bubbles. Talk to homeless people, volunteer at a food shelf or soup kitchen, talk to migrants and undocumented immigrants. Get to know the people this state and other states treat like shit. 
• GO TO TOWN HALL MEETINGS. I cannot stress this enough. VOTING IS GOOD, BUT YOU NEED TO DO MORE. Attending your local town hall meetings is a great way to get to know the community you are in and to see what the issues are within your community. This is also a great way to start dialogues with people. 
• Understand that you can’t always help people. Sometimes, some people are just assholes and bigots and they don’t care what you have to say; no argument will convince them. Don’t waste your energy on these people. Work to uplift and take care of your fellow humans and creatures before you give these people the time of day. Debating only works if both parties go into the debate in good faith. 
• That being said, if you know trans people or people who are in unsafe living conditions and you are able to help them in any way, please do. Reach out to the people who will be struggling the most from this election. (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, BIPOC women, etc.) VOCALLY support the people who are oppressed in this country, even if it makes you uncomfortable or puts you in an uncomfortable spot. 

There are many more things I can suggest, and if you are curious about anything, google it. Seriously, any question you may have, google it. Don’t trust what the Google AI tells you, go through several articles and reports on a topic to get a broad scope of what people are saying. If there are conflicting statements, try to find a credible source on said topic. 

America sucks, folks! So, let’s try and make it better for everyone. It was never great to begin with. In the words of an anonymous person:  

“‘America has been sliding into fascism since Trump was elected’ ‘America has been sliding into fascism since Reagan’ the founding fathers owned people.”  

America, as I’m sure you’ve all been learning, is awful and has treated the people who built this country (primarily BIPOC) like absolute shit. You cannot escape this reality, but you can actually make it better. And if the Neo-Nazi party wants to get violent, I will not be leaving my ancestral home. That I know for sure. 

It’s time for us to start enacting some real change. Always oppose fascism, aggressively. And sometimes, there will be people who resort to violent methods, and I do not believe we should judge those who do. There is no room in this country, at this college, for bigotry. Don’t give up hope. Keep fighting. The pigs want us to kill ourselves, want us to allow them to continue. We cannot. It will only be okay if everyone steps up. And not a single person can do this alone. 

You are not alone.