Trump and Clinton. Photo: Daily Express
I try not to be someone who makes my political beliefs, religious beliefs, or any other beliefs that might be deemed as controversial, widely known on social media. I’m not a fan of confrontation, especially over something so divisive. But right now is different. This election is crucial.
To be clear, I will not be touching on either candidate’s policies or legislation. Though obviously important, their morals and ethics are the issue at hand. How can one be fit to lead an entire country if he does not have rudimentary morals? I will start by saying that I am well aware neither candidate is perfect. But as I’ve seen it put before, one is flawed, and the other is not even decent. Donald Trump is a chauvinistic, racist, misogynistic, bigoted bully.
Why would we put this man in office, in charge of one of the most powerful countries in the world? This is a man who brags about sexually assaulting women; a man who wants to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, excluding an entire nation of people he calls “criminals” and “rapists,” who are simply looking to make a better life for themselves and their children; a man who has ridiculed the disabled; a man whose company discriminated against black people; a man who does not support the LGBTQ community; a man whose supporters include neo-Nazi groups and KKK extremists; a man who bullied a pageant winner for gaining weight and being Latina; a man who was a prominent leader of the birther movement; a man who wants to exclude another 1.6 million people from the U.S. because of their religion; a man who encouraged the mob justice that wrongfully imprisoned the Central Park Five; a man who demeans women regularly; a man who condoned his supporters beating a Black Lives Matter protestor; a man who has shown anti-Semitism; a man who does not want to let refugees in desperate need of help into our country; a man who has crudely mocked the Chinese; a man who has been a consistent opponent of marriage equality; a chauvinist; a racist; a misogynist; a bigot; a bully.
How can people support this vile man who stands for everything that should have been disavowed centuries ago? It is 2016. We are in the 21stcentury. We should be progressing in our efforts towards equality. It is unclear to me why people still can’t understand that “all men are created equal.” No one person is inferior to another. No one race is inferior to another. People have different skin tones because of the relation between the sun’s ultraviolet radiation and how close their country of origin is to the equator, which affected the levels of melatonin in their ancestors’ skin. That’s it. We are all born the same—with a heart, a digestive system, a body, a brain. We are all the same. So why do some people still believe in superiority among us? Another person’s skin tone does not, in any way, affect your life. Another person’s religious beliefs do not, in any way, affect your life. Another person’s sexual orientation does not, in any way, affect your life. Our differences and diversity comprise this brilliant country; they define it.
So why does Donald Trump continue to treat people who are different from him so disgustingly? If Donald Trump is elected, we will be taking a huge step backwards. If we allow Donald Trump to be elected, we are saying it is okay to be Islamophobic, xenophobic, chauvinistic, racist, misogynistic, and homophobic. We are glorifying his flaws, his impudence, his bigotry. We should not allow that. We cannot allow that. Hillary is yes, flawed, but also greatly experienced and rational. She is eloquent and tough. She is tenacious, she is intelligent, she is qualified, and she should be President. Please, if you can vote this November, make the right choice. Your vote matters. Let’s go high. I’m With Her.
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Valentina Caballero Hernández attends the University of Oklahoma. She is majoring in International Studies. All comments tocabavalentina@gmail.com.