By Bobby Lovett
Opinions Contributor
Welcome, Newton South, to the dismal reality that has taken over America and seeped into the tiny progressive bubble that has kept us safe from the harsh, outside world. Donald Trump has, to our great surprise, won the election. He is now our president-elect.
I did not support Trump. Like the vast majority of students and families that are part of the South community, from the start I was in support of the Democratic Party and whomever they chose to nominate. While I am greatly disappointed by the election results, I am not surprised, and the rest of us should not be, either.
Liberal hubris has infected our minds. For a long time, we thought that everything we believed was right, for both us and the nation. We were far more wrong than we ever imagined.
What people do not realize is that Progressives have become the academic elite. We often call out Conservatives for being wealthy and impressing their views onto the poor, average man. We are not average. We are the nobility, the educated and wealthy. Trump’s message better reflected those who live in blue-collar America: the less educated, the impoverished, lower and middle-class whites who are desperate for a good life in a world where only a select few feel safe every day of the year.
First, we have to understand the power of fear. In 2015, USA Today ranked Newton as the safest city in the entire country. We have had the luxury of living in a city shielded from the outside world our entire lives. In our community, most of us have the luxury of worrying about achieving the best education possible, defending social issues that matter to us, and finding the lifestyle we desire for ourselves. The United States of America is not the country we thought it was, and it never has been.
We were born and raised in an isolated world and now the results of this unusual and populist election have not just popped our bubble, they have shattered it. What has happened to our superiority? Finally, it is us who have been hit by a loss in a world ruled by Democrats for nearly a decade. And trust me, we are sore losers.
It is unfortunate to know that the rest of our 50 united states are not aligned with the beliefs of our beloved city of Newton, but it is a truth that needs to be recognized, whether we like it or not.
In our arrogance, we criticize those less educated for their ignorance, despite our refusal to understand their culture and lives. We vie for our definition of civil rights, while people across the country face issues we do not even consider. Worst of all, we name call, insult, and degrade, just as we claim our opponents have. Yet we refuse to recognize that we have sunk to their level, even though it’s nothing new.
Donald Trump won because much of the country needed help that we refused to give or even recognize. For the average lower to middle-class white American, social issues do not take precedence over economic issues. It does not matter to them if others are being discriminated against if they cannot feed their own families or afford a place to live. In Newton, economics are not an issue. To the rest of the country, to those living in the real world, time is money and it is of the essence.
Most people who voted for Trump are not supporters of sexual assault. Most are not supporters of transphobia. Most are not supporters of racism. They voted for Trump because he spoke to their grievances, both economic and anti-elitist.They sat by and watched as America’s elites in both parties ignored them, supporting policies that destroyed their local economies.
Then they watched as liberal elites grouped them into the category of white privilege, giving them the impression that they were being held responsible for the plight of minorities, even though their lives reflected no sense of privilege at all. To them, Donald Trump was a champion of their issues, issues that Hillary Clinton unfortunately ignored.
we criticize those less educated for their ignorance, despite our refusal to understand their culture and lives. We vie for our definition of civil rights, while people across the country face issues we do not even consider. Worst of all, we name call, insult, and degrade, just as we claim our opponents have. Yet we refuse to recognize that we have sunk to their level, even though it’s nothing new.
Us liberals here in Newton speak so highly of ourselves and our need for equality, compassion, and listening to others. Yet even now, many of us are fighting democracy by protesting the election results and circulating petitions to have the Electoral College switch their votes, acts we criticized Trump supporters for even suggesting.
For too long, anyone who has disagreed with us has not been worth our time, has not been considered equal to us, and has been labeled as uneducated and ignorant. We do not listen to outside perspectives, no matter their political affiliation. It’s high time we change that.
The one positive thing about this election, at least for us, is that now we can wake up and smell the cheap Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.
The world is not as it seems. The world is not the ideal we envisioned in our mind. We have always believed that because of our education, we knew what was best for our country. We have had black and white moral values with no acknowledgment of the in-betweens. As a result, we now believe that everything we support is good for everyone and everything we disagree with will ultimately end terribly for everyone. We do not speak for everyone. It is not our right, no matter how educated we are.
More importantly, the lives of the American people should not be dictated by us. America is a country of self-determination, where we work together as individuals.The United States is named as such for a reason. Now is a time for us to realize the definition of unity and put it into effect. It is time that we take accountability for our arrogance, for our condescending nature, and our own ignorance. It is time we make our best effort to understand our fellow citizens and work together in improving our nation for all Americans, no matter whom they supported for president.
Donald Trump is unqualified to be our president, and I empathize with those who feel threatened and scared by his rhetoric. However, until we realize our role in creating a divided America, there will be many more Donald Trumps to come.
