It’s time to listen to Trump Voters
Fellow liberals, I know it’s been a rough week. I know many of you are still in shock or feel betrayed or feel like there’s no hope left for this country. I know you’re scared, either for yourself or for your friends or for groups of people you feel deserve better than this.
I feel all of this too, but I also feel that this election is a teachable moment for us. There’s a message we need to hear.
Liberals, for all of our talk about compassion and tolerance and keeping an open mind, there is one group of people that we just can’t seem to do any of these things for. You know who I’m talking about: conservatives.
Last Wednesday, I told one of my conservative friends that liberals understood that the majority of Trump voters are not racist uneducated bigots. That most of my liberal friends understood that the people voting for Trump were dealing with legitimate issues and fears. That most people voted for Trump because the political discourse in this country needs to be more straightforward and honest, that they’re scared for their safety and their livelihoods, that they desperately want change in Washington.
But I was wrong. Many of my friends — at least according to their Facebook posts — do think that most Trump voters are racists and that they voted for him because they secretly and ashamedly want to keep minorities down.
Liberal friends, I know you’re scared. I am too. But I don’t believe this, and if you took a deep breath and thought about it objectively, I don’t believe you would either.
Obviously all of the nasty things President-Elect Trump has said about, well, not-white-men didn’t stop these people from voting for him. You don’t have to be OK with that. I’m not. But that alone does not make these people racist or sexist.
Half the country just sent out a plea. Instead of blaming them for electing a crazy person, I think the only way forward is for us to listen.
What are they really saying? That racism is alive and well in this country? That may be, but that’s not their message.
We’re supposed to hear that these people feel like we don’t care about them.
And you know what? They’re right.
How many jokes have you cracked about the South or the Midwest? How many times have you called Republicans stupid? Do you have more sympathy for starving people half a world away than the ones in your own state?
I’m guilty of all of these things, so I get it. I understand why you’re upset.
But hating everyone who voted for Trump is not the answer. Hating an entire group of people is exactly why we’re angry at them!
I really believe that we need to start giving these people a chance to be heard if we’re going to continue as one nation.
So, Trump Voters, I implore you, tell us why you really voted for him. What was the key factor in your decision? What were the secondary factors? Did you actually want him as president, or did you feel like there was no better option? What can we do, together, to have better options next time?
We’re listening.
