On Tuesday, November 8, 2016, my country elected a new president. The person that was elected does not represent my views in any way shape or form and I am opposed to everything that he stands for.
For the past eighteen months the new President-elect has constantly and consistently used hateful and racist rhetoric to attack women, immigrants, the handicapped, and people’s religious beliefs. In addition to this, he’s said that he intends to repeal the Affordable Care Act, build a wall between us and Mexico, and deport 11 million people. He’s said all these things in order to garner votes for himself. In doing so, he’s give a voice to misogyny, hate, and bigotry and sent a very dangerous message to certain individuals that it’s now OK to engage in such acts.
I vehemently oppose all of these things. I, like many Americans, was stunned by the results of this election. That shock has now turned into anger and that anger is something I intend on using as fuel for future drawings. When I was in art school in the late 80’s I majored in illustration. Illustration is visual communication and illustration as protest has a long tradition. As an artist, I will use my work to point out any and all injustice and hypocrisy during the President-elect’s term as Commander In Chief. These intentions shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
This is why I will not “suck it up,” and accept the results of this election. By doing so, I would be condoning all of the President-elect’s hateful rhetoric; I know people, people that I love, from all of the communities that the president elect has insulted. In addition to this, I have friends who depend on The Affordable Care Act for medical treatment and medication. By staying silent I would in effect be turning my back on them. That’s not going to happen.
This isn’t about the fact that my candidate didn’t win; this is about our future, here in the US and globally. The decision that was made on November 8 was one huge step backwards and not in keeping with my desires and those of many of my fellow countrymen. The hateful rhetoric of the President-elect is archaic and completely out of place in the 21st Century. I will do my part to speak out and denounce this in the strongest way possible. I stand with everyone who rejects the election of Donald J Trump to the presidency of the United States. I will not stay quiet.
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You are absolutely right. This cannot become the new normal. Anyone with a platform should use it to further the resistance.