Last week, I wrote about being attacked on Twitter for my atheism. And while this isn’t new, to be honest, it made me think of what’s happened in our country since the election. Donald Trump has given those who are inclined permission to hate.
With that said, most of these folks have always hated. They hate immigrants, blacks, gays, atheists, Jews, Muslims, and women – basically, anyone different than they are. What they feel now is that the election has vindicated the expression of that hate. Their president-elect has said vile things about women. He’s suggested building a wall between the US and Mexico and banning Muslims from immigrating here. His vice president hates gays and women, and has actively worked to legislate against them. His attorney general hates gays, immigrants, and blacks, proven by both his legislative activities and the fact that he couldn’t be confirmed for a judgeship because of his racial views. His senior strategist is a white supremacist.
Trump’s continued vindication of hate has resulted in a level of harassment and hate crimes not seen since 9/11. In the week following the election, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported more than 500 incidents of verbal assault, hate graffiti, and physical assault on all the groups I mentioned in the prior paragraph. Even more horrifying to me is that more than a third of these occurred in educational institutions – so we’ve poisoned our children, too.
I also have yet to hear anyone on the right decry any of this hate. I desperately want to hear that, because I don’t want to believe that half of our country thinks this way. I don’t want to believe we’re going to undo 50 years of progress in race relations. I don’t want to believe we’re going to undo nearly 100 years of womens’ rights.
I don’t want to let this administration make American hate again. And no matter how you voted, neither should you.