We are scared.
As the days of Trump’s presidency begin to unfold, many wonder how different the country could be if the election had a different outcome. One of hope, not fear.
In his inauguration speech on Jan. 20, President Trump promised to accomplish many things in his presidency, a few more concerning to us than others.
Trump vowed to legally recognize only two genders, which completely disregards the identities of thousands of Americans. How is this fair? Around 7.2% of Americans identify as LGBTQ+.
These people are scared.
But there’s more.
Trump has sent the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct deportation raids of undocumented immigrants in major cities. The man who is supposed to run the United States, a country founded upon liberty, freedom, and equality, has targeted and excluded people who seek those same founding qualities Americans supposedly get to enjoy.
These 11 million people are scared.
Not only this, but Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office to shut down all offices of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). A program that aimed to promote fair treatment of unrepresented groups in the workforce has been eliminated, leaving room for discrimination to fester in the workforce.
The information age has given our generation the most exposure to technology, and given that, our generation gets the most exposure to current events, good and bad. We get the flashy headlines on our social media feeds—the terrifying news of the latest actions of the Trump administration.
Some might call this a curse, the curse of knowing too much. Knowing that your identity, your very being, isn’t recognized by the government.
But it’s not a curse.
The fear that Americans are experiencing and voicing now, although completely valid, is purposeful on Trump’s part.
Trump crammed his inauguration speech full of promises of what he would do in his presidency, promises that had us fearing for our future. This is no accident.
Trump intentionally overwhelmed the media with all of his orders, effectively scaring us into submission. It keeps us focused on the next thing he’s done, the next thing to be scared about, and not his pitfalls. From now on, we can’t let that happen.
In today’s world, “knowledge is power” has never been more true. With the gift of the internet and the information that comes with it, we must use it to our advantage.
By staying educated, we stay out of the dark, away from the fear. Anyone who’s taken a government class knows a system of checks and balances exists in our government system. The president simply doesn’t have the power to rewrite the Constitution. It’s not likely any of his orders would be passed as legislation in the House and Senate. By knowing that, it eases the fear.
These next four years will be scary ones, no doubt about it, but by staying educated, we can prevent the fear from consuming us.
So stay out of the dark. Find your community. Don’t feed into the fear. By doing so, we turn the tables and hold power over him.
