2016 Election

[Yoru Shakou]

I honestly don't know what to say...

I never was one that would thump my chest and shout and yell "USA! USA! USA!", it just never seemed the right thing to do. I always viewed my patriotism as understanding that things were wrong in the States and needed to change; this though is not that change that was needed...

For the first time in my life, I have to say this...

I am ashamed to be an American...

I am ashamed that bigotry, racism, and hatred won out.

I am afraid for those of my friends in the LGBTQ community. I am afraid for those of the Islamic Faith. I am afraid for those in the Latino/a, Black, and all communities that are not white.

I am afraid for the future of my country and what the next 4 years hold.

Thus I must resolve myself to stand by the sides of those that I love and hold dear. I will stand by their side during the next four years and for the future until they are treated the same as I am treated.

I will not stand idly by as my country is torn apart and dragged through the mud.

There is something wrong with my country and it has been shown this night.

 

[Thraxis]

As an Australian I can proudly say... #MAKEAMERICAGREATAGAIN!

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Yoru Shakou"] Think I'm just afraid for you guys in general.

Your checks and balances system can't function when one party controls EVERYTHING. Particularly not with King Gonk at the helm.

We screwed up with Brexit - America, there really was absolutely no good reason to try and one-up us on that!

 

[Horus]

I think Trump winning is a good thing. He isn't going to do anything for the people that voted for him, and as he begins to slowly destroy your country people will hate him and realize their mistake. Then maybe, hopefully, next time they won't be so bloody stupid with their vote. I have strong words for American voters but unfortunately this site translates them into 'poodoo'

 

[Darth Abyss]

I am very sorry for all of you there. But maybe this is an opportunity for your country. Bad things don't have to have bad consequences. Maybe this will finally bring up the question if a country like America wouldn't be better of with more than two partys.

Also if things turn really bad, just remember that there other beautiful countries to live in.

 

[Darth Kentarch]

[member="Horus"], my father made the point that Republicans can no longer blame things on Hillary Clinton any more, which lets be honest, blaming Hillary has been their ace in the hole for almost a decade.

 

[RIP Carlyle Rausgeber]

[member="Yoru Shakou"]

Calm the rhetoric fam. Nothing is uniquely wrong with your country at all. Australia, the UK as well as nearly all nations on Earth are having populist politics becoming the new norm.

Bigotry and racism didn't win out at all. It was a feeling of uselessness. The people who voted for the Donald weren't evil at all, they weren't bigots (Though undoubtedly some are). These are ordinary people who felt they weren't listened to, Trumps election is a reaction to a two party system of governance which tens of millions believe have failed them.

If people want to get rid of the likes of Donald Trump, they need to stop calling everyone who disagrees with them a racist.

The left of the world need to educate, and make their positions clear. People are scared of progress, and are scared of change in an uncertain world. For progress to proceed, there needs to be free, open and frank discourse.

 

[Horus]

[member="Darth Kentarch"]
Well now when American parents discover their daughter has been assaulted, they can only blame themselves. When gay children are beaten for their very nature of being, they can only blame themselves. When their muslim, latino and black friends are alienated and abused, they can only blame themselves.

They voted in a role model, and their role model promote all these things. I hope they learn their mistake

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

On the plus side, the markets are plummeting. The Dow is down 800 points. Result, yes?

Oh, wait...

 

[James Justice]

[member="Yoru Shakou"]

I don't normally do politics, and for great reason (its messy and very emotional so its hard for a lot of people to stay calm when it comes to it). I was raised a patriot, always have been, always will be. I love my country, and no one who knows me will think otherwise. But I must say this--something has been wrong for a long long time. In fact, this something has been going on since the very founding of the colonies when the Salem Witch trials occured, when Anne Hutchison was exiled for her religious beliefs and the Native Americans were treated ill. "Something" has always been wrong with this country actually, since its founding.

Pick any slice of American history and you will find it riddle with something wrong. Why? Because people are in it. And people hurt. People are broken, people are ragged and they are looking for solutions and answers. People look for answers, for equilibrium. I hate to break it to you, my friend, but even the "good ol days" had problems. Its just a matter of if we see the stars or the black, soul swallowing void that is behind them.


With that said..... the "something" that is wrong with our nation right now isn't racism, hate, bigotry, or any of that. Its too simple, if that was the problem, the the solution would be so simple. No, what is wrong is more malign and horrifying. What's wrong is drawing lines in the sand. The war between minorities and police, the riots across the nation, the haves versus the haves nots, the sons and daughters versus the mothers and fathers, the insidious war that you see is deeper than just what you present, sadly.

But what makes people draw lines in the sand like this? Its a good question. Part of it is societal. As we see more anger being presented, we feel there is no need to hold our own tongues and so we too act in anger. Part is pride--which is glorified and is the opposite of societal acceptance (pride as in "I am better than you are" pride, not proper self-esteem). Fear, which is a pathway to rejecting and lashing out against that which you fear. Self-loathing, which leads to lashing out against those around you that are "soft targets."

While its easy to choose a side, we cannot. If you want to see this fixed, if any of us want to see this change the solution is so much harder. We MUST NOT react. We must act in kindness, we must bridge the gap. That will never be solved with parades, speeches, assemblies, or tirades. No, this will only occur when we work towards real reconciliation, starting with ourselves. It has nothing to do with who is in any political office and has everything to do with who we are on a day to day basis.

cheers.

 

[Mikhail Crystall]

It's just another day in this thing we call time....I am afraid too, but I will not allow my fear to grip me for there will always be another day and another president...for better or worse.

But I feel for all my LGBTQ friends....I feel for the people who are ridiculed for how they are....truly.

But the dawn will come. The sun with rise...

 

[Darth Abyss]

[member="Carlyle Rausgeber"] sadly you are right that this is a worldwide phenomenon. Yet while you are right that not all trump voters are bigots and racists, they still gave their vote to a one. Only because they felt like they weren't listened to by others doesn't make voting for trump a good idea. As german I can say that voting for a loud angry populist because you your country isn't doing so well is probably the worst thing to do.

 

[Yoru Shakou]

The Mexican Peso is also tanking.

Oh, and NATO has just put 300,000 troops on standby due to rising tension between the USSR and the Baltic States.

 

[Darth Veles]

Better than Clinton I guess.

So Trump became a president, yet according to everyone we are about to face the age of darkness. All we can expect is destruction, plague, cholera,... :lol: Just like with Brexit! Oh no!

Sucks to live in democracy, doesn't it

 

[Darth Abyss]

yeah because everyone is really happy with the brexit

[member="Darth Veles"]

 

[RIP Carlyle Rausgeber]

[member="Darth Abyss"]

I'm not trying to condone Trump. I personally think his rhetoric is toxic as anything, and if I were an American, I wouldn't be able to vote for him in good conscience.

But Trump becoming president is not all doom and gloom. I think there's most certainly going to be some tears had. But his tenure should be a time of introspection. A time for the worlds progressives to regroup, and realise what they did wrong.

Will they be ready?

Who knows. I think the Democrats, after the debacle known as their primaries are going to ask themselves some really difficult questions. As an ameateur pundit, you can put it down to naivete, but I think there may even be a split between the more centerist/right leaning Dems and the left leaning Bernie ones.

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

Honestly, the bit that gets me more than a Trump victory is the absence of Clinton in defeat. She didn't even appear to her supporters, those that had gathered to celebrate a potential victory. She may well be feeling very defeated, but actions like that don't show her accepting it with grace, or gratitude for the hard work of everyone who supported and voted for her.

Just goes to show that both the candidates in this election are far below the standards that Americans should have wanted. But, sadly, perhaps exactly what they deserved. If President Trump does anything, I hope his victory encourages Americans to choose more wisely next time.

And, yes, I hope Bernie Sanders lives to be 120

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Tirdarius"]
It is curious that she has made no public speech.

Trump's victory speech was good. Let's see how he goes...I hope for the best yet fear the worst.

 

[Louise]

America, you cray.

 

[Odd the Wise]

I usually wouldn't be worried about the results of a presidential election. What I'm worried about is that the republicans will now own the SCOTUS unless the oldest justices either don't retire nor die. The republican party will control literally all the checks and balances of the federal government. If the republican party wanted to they could repeal any progressive policies from the past few decades as infringing on the rights of the states. I have a feeling that if they try to repeal Roe v Wade, or anything similar really, no matter how much the people protest, it's not going to be like Poland where the government will actually listen to its people. That is to say, I sincerely hope they won't. Especially in the case of abortion. Repealing that will just lead to backroom coat hanger abortions like before it was a law.