dismissed

I have basically spent all of my extra time trying to wrap my head around the current political climate. This sentence basically encapsulates what my personal feelings are about the entire thing; in that the second there was hate speech by a potential presidential candidate (as it was for Senator George Allen for his use of "macaca" in 2006), that should have been Game Over. 

"I have friends and acquaintances who are Trump supporters. They genuinely do not understand today’s shock, particularly from minorities. These Trump supporters do not understand that many minorities believe the people who voted for Trump endorse his racism and bigotry — that those voters care more about sending a message to the political establishment than they do about the rights and welfare of human beings." Full Story

I have reached out to friends and acquaintances who voted for/know people who voted for the other party in the hopes they can help me understand. What I'm getting is that the things that informed them and influenced people's votes were: 

1. the sanctity of life

2. jobs jobs jobs jobs

3. shaking up "the system"

4. Hillary Clinton being a liar

5. the 2nd Amendment

6. They don't believe Donald Trump *believes* what he's said, and it was an Art of the Deal-style ploy to win that will be abandoned when he takes office.

What I'm getting from this is that whatever combination of these things is more important than the fact that the President Elect gave white america a wink-and-a-nod green light to entertain their most hateful ideas, such as: 

a) yanking on headscarves

b) teaching their kids that telling African American classmates "I'm going to own you, soon," is OK.

c) spray-painting "Whites only" or swastikas on public property

d) telling anyone who looks like they may have been born in a different country "you're going to be deported soon."

e) cornering young women and grabbing them between the legs "because I can."

None of this squares with the rhetoric I have been fed about the purpose and the "values" of the country where I was born and have spent 95% of my life. I don't feel safe. 

I respect the process. 

I respect the office of the President.

I will teach my child to respect the office of the President

I will teach my child to stand up for other people's rights.

I will teach my child not to bully.

But I'm not going to have a good night's sleep for a very long time.