Technically, it’s ‘before-math’ because I’m supposed to be doing Homework 31 for my Calculus 3 (haha made a pun), but I’m gonna skimp on that tonight and write this instead. But before I begin, a disclaimer – this is merely the opinion of a simple, nineteen-year-old girl who is too young to vote in her home country, but too old to ignore the current situation.
So Trump won the American presidency, and my university campus is in a state of upheaval. My Calculus professor thanked us for actually showing up to class in light of the night’s events, and a speaker at the SWE event spoke about the importance of female leadership instead of showing us her usual recruitment PowerPoint slides. I have heard people crying in fear of friends and family at risk of deportation, I have seen small demonstrations on the Quad, heard people question the genuineness of friendship offered by their White counterparts.
Dear Americans,
Trump won fair and square – that is an indisputable fact. There are reasons to his victory, and they go beyond racism and sexism. They encompass the frustration, misunderstanding, and fear of his supporters – everything everyone who voted against him are probably feeling right now. I do not know enough to come up with the factors that led to his victory, but what is done is done. Whether he turns out to be the very man he portrayed on the campaign trail remains to be seen. Fingers crossed, he won’t be.
As a non-citizen and cool observer, I want to remind you of these few things. The fact that you are able to rise up to the streets to protest the election of a candidate you do not approve of means you have freedom of speech. The fact that you are able to hold public discussions dissecting the flaws of the party or candidate you dislike and still return to a home and not a prison cell, means you have a fighting chance. The fact minority groups can still speak out against an unjust system means you have hope. You have the right to the freedom of demonstration, the freedom of speech, the freedom of press. Your constitution does not (directly) place one demographic above another. Your presidents have term limits. These are your tools. Use them, and use them well.
To those who have achieved what they sought to accomplish, congratulations. To those fighting for an alternative, don’t give up. Not now, not ever. Work harder. Rise up, don’t give in. Fight, because you can and because you must. Now more than ever, America, the world is watching.
To my Malaysian friends, I have only this to say: remember, too, the minorities in Malaysia who live in the same apprehension American minorities feel with the election of Trump. Please. More than that, I am too afraid to say.
But then again, I am only nineteen. Take all this is a pinch of salt. Scratch that – preserve this whole essay in brine if you must.
Now, back to Calculus.
The Old Cow Moos 