Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Babble.
It has been more than 48 hours now since Trump became the President-elect of the greatest country in the world. And yet I am still shell-shocked, filled with trepidation, and sadness over it.
In the last few days, I have been glued to my Facebook feed, watching as news of increased violence and hostilities towards minorities continues to roll in. Hundreds of articles have flooded my newsfeed, trying to hypothesize which of the menacing promises Trump will keep and which can legally be enacted. In between all of this noise, friends who were vocally anti-Trump have also posted messages of love for Muslims, Mexicans, LGBT groups, people with disabilities, etc.
However, there has been a sudden and conspicuous silence from all my Trump-supporting friends, whether they had been very public in their support or done it quietly, like the majority of Americans.
Now here’s the part that has me so disheartened: I have tried, in all earnestness, to understand where these Trump supporters are coming from. I have always believed that most of Trump’s supporters did not vote for him because they are racist, sexist “deplorables.” They voted because different issues were more important to them.
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The pro-life stance was vital for many of my friends. Some found the well-orchestrated brouhaha of Benghazi too much to stomach. Others just found Hillary to be too entitled and didn’t feel like she should get the job just because she was a qualified woman. Some were frank in saying that they wanted to lower their taxes as upper-middle class Americans and Trump would help their personal bottom-line.
Again, I reached within my depths to find empathy and understanding from where these friends were coming from. I have tried not to let it bother me that threats made to my civil liberties as a Muslim-American were not enough for these long-time friends to waver. It’s okay; maybe they were secretly wondering too how I could allow the murder of innocent babies in the name of “choice.”
But in the aftermath of this soul-wounding election, I thought, Okay, definitely NOW they will at least SEE why I have been scared. They will find new clarity in their victory and be able to at least concede to the fact that Trump unabashedly threatened me and millions of our fellow Americans.
I waited for an email, a text message, or even a generic Facebook post. Just one saying, “I’m happy Trump won because I believe he will be better for this country and this is our democracy in action. But I hope he doesn’t persecute you because of your religion, like he promised. I know you’re scared and I’m scared for you too.”
It has been searing to my soul that not one Trump supporter in my life could muster up a smidgen of empathy to contact me and tell me they’re also heart-broken that my 8-year-old is suddenly scared of getting kicked out of his home country.
I can imagine how defensive you must feel right now if you’re a Trump supporter reading this. But please, just for one small moment, try to imagine the inconceivable: What if Trump came into power saying, “All white Christians will be required to register with authorities.”
You would be horrified. And then terrified. And then relieved, because something like that happening to you is unimaginable. But it is not unimaginable for me. Not for my family.
I woke up with millions of Americans on November 9 to find the inconceivable my new reality. In the days since, I have struggled to understand my own feelings and what it is that I wanted from my friends, and it’s really quite simply this: acknowledgement.
Please acknowledge my anxiety. Please give me validation for my pain and why I am scared for my family. And please do not dismiss Trump’s promises to not target me, because he has not ever disavowed them.
Empathy for others is the fabric of our humanity, so if you are reading this and you voted for Trump, please reach out to a friend who is black, Muslim, gay, or any other minority that our President-elect has targeted — and let them know you too are hoping that many of Trump’s threats come up empty.
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