Ever since it was declared and confirm that Trump would be our next President of the United States, I’ve seen some pretty ugly stuff. Putting my views and politics aside, I’ve noticed some awful things,  dare I call them deplorable. While, I don’t want to label the perpetrators of these actions with a blanket statement as Trump supporters, many of them have been very vocal that they did indeed vote for Trump. So what’s a person to do?

While Donald Trump won the election, he has infamously done some pretty awful things
like mock a physically disabled person, trivialized the Purple Heart, insulted John McCain because he was a POW and therefore captured, made jokes about women, insulted women for their looks, etc. the list goes on. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you already know what he has done, and I won’t rehash. Despite these actions, there were Americans who still gave him their vote. Does this mean they condone his behavior? Doubtful. They likely didn’t like Clinton for their own reasons, and went with the “lesser of two evils.”

I knew it would be bad on Wednesday morning, but I never thought it could be this bad. I have a diverse friends list on my Facebook, and I was horrified to see the stories on my timeline of my friends getting harassed, and feeling like they are now in danger. The stories didn’t stop either. They were all similar, but in different locations, contexts, etc., but they all had a common theme.

Because Trump has said and done awful things during his campaign, there are many who believe that because our President elect can get away with it, so can they. Because common decency has gone out the window since the election, I felt I had to write this.

So for the ridiculously dim witted, just because Donald Trump got elected doesn’t mean you should do the following:

• Tell women you can grab them by the pussy
• Or worse, grab them by their genitals, breasts, etc.
• Harass people of color, call them the N word
• Pull a hijab, or any other headcovering, off of a person, or attack anyone who is wearing a hijab
• Tell any Hispanic or ethnic person, people you might think to be immigrants, to pack their bags
• Chant and shout “Build that Wall” to upset people
• Intimidate people with your gun while they’re minding their own business and living life
• Draw swastikas on fences, buildings, parking lots, etc.
• Be a bully
• Make fun of disabled people
• Tell members of the LGBTQ community that Trump and Pence are going to get rid of them
• Yell at people in the grocery store because they look different than you
• Violate the rights of people other than yourself
• These are just a few things I’ve read from friends and people in general. For more, click here.

Trump’s election gave validation to some pretty awful people who now feel like they can get away with the above actions because “the President can do it and still get elected.” While you have the right to free speech, it only protects you from being punished by the government. It doesn’t protect you from the consequences of being a jerk, since others can also exercise their free speech rights. We still have laws and people still have rights. Violate those rights, hurt someone else, invade someone’s space, steal their property, basically crimes against people, you’ll get arrested. This goes both ways to the right and the left.

Not all who voted for Trump are like this, aka bad people. There are people who voted for Trump who are horrified by these actions.

But calling democrats and liberals whiners isn’t going to do anything to help mend the divide that has been ripped between us during the past year. Also, saying that “everything is going to be okay” just trivializes a person’s fear and pain right now. Showing empathy and understanding will go a lot further than making someone feel like their anxiety isn’t valid.

However, Trump’s presidency has a lot of people scared, including myself. I worry about our future. Those who didn’t want Trump to be President are mourning, they are angry, and they are understandably upset. Give them the space to do so. Offer compassionate dialogue and reassure them it’s going to be okay.

To any Trump supporters who are reading this and are getting offended, prove the rest of the world wrong. Show empathy to those who are hurting, hold Trump accountable for the generalized things he said. If you see your friends and family doing something similar, please, hold them accountable as well. PLEASE SPEAK OUT against the hate, the crimes, and the words that other Trump supporters are saying. Demand that it stop! These people are created the stereotype for the group you are being lumped into.

Demand that Trump makes a public statement condemning the violence, the racism, the sexism, the misogyny, the bigotry, etc. Demand that he publicly condemns and sets himself apart from the upcoming KKK parade that will be happening in North Carolina. If Trump can make it known that he doesn’t agree with the actions that have been done and the words that have been said in his name and Presidency, that is a huge step into getting it to STOP.

Even if you want to say, “But-but the liberals and Democrats and Hillary are doing it too!” What do I say to that? Be the bigger person. Be the BETTER person that you know you are. Please do not resort to this childish cop-out.

You can still support a candidate, or now President elect, and hold them accountable. I know there will be conspiracy theorists who will say this was all done by liberals posing as Trump supporters…whatever helps you sleep at night. At this point, PEOPLE need to be held accountable.

Once we rise from the ashes, we need to focus on coming together and uniting so that America has a fighting chance of getting through the next four years.