Silver Linings: Recognizing opportunities in the middle of chaos
This week has been a difficult one for a lot of people in the US and around the world, and at the risk of sounding like a false optimist, I’d like to end the week on a productive note.
Firstly, I need to acknowledge that I am a Canadian woman living in the most multicultural cities in the world with a prime minister that has asserted his support for diversity, inclusiveness, tolerance, and understanding. As such, I cannot even begin to truly understand the direct ramifications of having a strong and acute right wing presence affecting my daily life.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0
We need to begin with a fundamental truth: Donald Trump is not a good person, and he successfully preyed on people’s fears and instigated aggressive levels of racism, sexism, Islamophobia, homophobia and countless other -isms and phobias. The reality is that it does not matter if he had won or lost, or whether he will stick by his views or change them. It does not matter whether those that voted for him hold all the same beliefs or not because the sheer number of supporters he accumulated during the election served to empower a hate-filled and entitled demographic of Americans that now feel even more comfortable expressing their bigotry, misogyny, and entitlement. It won’t matter if Trump ends up being better as a president than he was as a candidate; in fact, it is likely to create more anger and aggression when his promises go unfulfilled. It will be something to watch for—how much will President Trump really stray from the status quo he so vehemently opposed?
So where is the silver lining, you may ask? Where is the silver lining when those bearing the brunt of this ongoing verbal and physical aggression, those that feel unsafe are the marginalized that have always been aware of this? The Muslims, the Blacks, the Latinx, the LGBTQ, the people of colour that have always been pushed to the fringes of society are on the front line of this abuse. Where is the silver lining when hate crimes have skyrocketed overnight?
Where is the silver lining when women are being relegated to dangerous and sexist tropes and sexual assault attempts have increased? When children are coming home terrified and in tears over the cruelty and discrimination they are facing at the hands of classmates, it’s terribly hard to find.
A reoccurring sentiment from those that dislike both candidates is that Clinton’s loss was the best thing that she could have done for the United States. An unlikely statement, given the immediate ramifications of the election, but perhaps there is a slight truth to it.
Silver lining #1
With the election of Trump, the US is no longer able to hide behind the false progressive, liberal facade of equality. The underlying racism, sexism, and xenophobia that minorities experience are no longer the lived experiences of a few; they are a new nationwide reality that will continue to exist for the foreseeable future. This is an opportunity for Americans to reunite after growing divisiveness marked by the 2016 election. Instead of living under the guise of false progress, this is an opportunity to purge (no pun intended) the toxicity within the US by working to address the needs of the whole and work towards the changes that Americans so fiercely fought for over the past two years from the bottom-up. It’s an opportunity to demand that the two parties that presume to represent Americans shift to fit the needs of Americans instead of trying to pigeonhole their constituents into a failing system. To be sure, this does not in any way make light of or excuse the added danger and insecurity that marginalized groups are facing, but perhaps this is an opportunity to really eradicate that instead of sweeping it under the rug.
Silver lining #2
Women of colour thrived in politics this election. From senators to legislators, they thrived. With four women of colour elected as senators, it is a welcome improvement in representation. Mazie Hirono, a Japanese American, enters her second term as the only Asian-American female
Photo: Lorie Shaull/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0)
senator from Hawaii. Tammy Duckworth, a Thai-Vietnamese woman and veteran, became a senator from Illinois. Kamala Harris, an Indian and Black-American woman that is set to serve as a senator, is from California. Catherine Cortez Masto rounds up the list, becoming a senator from Nevada. Finally, and perhaps the most remarkable given the rhetoric of this election, Ilhan Omar, a Muslim and a former refugee, became the first Somali-American legislator in the United States.
These five women, among countless others, are a silver lining during a time of deep uncertainty and change. Five women that represent the progress that the United States can and will make and the work needed to create an inclusive country that is truly for the people, by the people. Focus on ongoing issues and demand that this administration serves you better because it is there to serve you. Push for Indigenous recognition and Black rights from border to border, demand that the freedom of religion and association be respected and enforced, and expect that your domestic social and economic needs be prioritized over foreign interests.
I leave you with a final thought. The events in the US and earlier in the UK are not isolated. There is a deep need for change within Europe and North America that continues to be ignored by systems that are no longer capable of adequately addressing it. Wherever you are in the world, be introspective about yourself and your country, be aware and be critical of the narratives that are being perpetuated and don’t wait until you need to grasp at silver linings.
By Mariam Jammal
Please note that opinions expressed are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page.
