In the recent news of Presidential elect, Donald Trump's,
victory on November 8th, the nation is divided into two very distinct reactions
to the news. Half of the population is rejoicing, while the other half is in a
state of mourning, shock, anger, and protest. How these two very different
sides will be able to live with one another for the next few years, nobody
knows. However, one thing is for certain: hate crimes have been on the rise
ever since November 8th.
After Obama's victory in 2008 and 2012, conservatives
rallied and protested his taking into office. They behavior was atrocious and
inexcusable: calling Obama every racist slur ever imagined and making threats
against him and his family. This time, the tables have turned, but unlike 2008
or 2012, protesters aren't protesting the orange-ness of Donald Trump's skin,
rather they are angered and disapproving of his words and actions taken against
Muslim-Americans, Jewish- Americans, blacks, the LGBTQ+ community, women, the
disabled, Hispanics, and more.
In an article punished by the Southern Poverty Law Center,
they brought together and analyzed the alarming number of hate crimes that have
occurred by state since November 8th, "Incidents by type ranked by number of
reports include: Anti-immigrant (206), anti-Black (151), anti-LGBT
(80), swastika vandalism (60), anti-Muslim (51), and anti-woman (36)”.
Overall, the trend shows the communities that
Trump once targeted in his run, under attack from white supremacists, better
known as Trump supporters. Coincidence? Most likely not.
Although Donald Trump himself has spoken up about these
hate crimes, his supporters don't seem to be getting the message. The real
question isn’t whether Trump secretly condones these crimes, but rather if he
inspired them or if his election merely gave white supremacists a chance to
show their real colors. Donald Trump is just a person, who happens to be
racist, sexist, and xenophobic, and as shown through the electoral map on
November 8th, isn’t all that uncommon. However, the idea of Trump is
what inspires such heinous hate crimes.
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