So after much thinking and chatting online about every topic related to the election and presidency of Trump, I've realized a few new things. So many of us want to say it all happened because the left was too broken apart thanks to the Bernie supporters refusing to endorse Clinton. Then there's others blaming it all on the Russia-Trump connection. Then there's the blame on Clinton's campaign. Or on the media coverage. I'm here to write my personal thoughts on what I've seen and heard from both the media and people from all sides, voting or abstaining.
First, I want to say that I've mostly felt the blame was to be put on the media. We constantly heard from the right that the media has a left wing bias. What a laugh! Can anyone remember a single story on Clinton during the campaign that showed her political standing? What was her plan for healthcare? Social Security? Helping raise wages for the lower and middle class? What about her stances on Syria and terrorism in general? Outside of the debates, where Clinton herself had to give information outright, when were any of these topics covered?
It was a circus. We saw constant coverage of Trump's rallies, his interviews, his scandals, and even his cohorts speaking about his stances on every topic under the sun. It didn't matter that they lied constantly. It didn't even matter what kind of hate filled remarks Trump made at any point. Why? Because it was a circus. How many of us going into this election believed that a man who was so publically bigoted and sexist in this day and age could get into the highest office in our country? I'm betting very few of us. I'm also suggesting that is why so many people who were on the fence with how to vote went for him in the end. It's because it isn't believable. The numerous quotes that were racist, sexist, xenophobic, etc were simply written off as people trying to make him sound far worse than he is. If you go speak to his supporters, many of them still believe this even in the face of all the evidence to the contrary. They don't think he's actually a bigot, they simply think he doesn't speak politically correct. That he just says things in a manner many do that don't see themselves as hateful or racist. People often look for the good in others and I think this is a case where the atmosphere of scandals and breaking coverage by the media created a sense that no one could really be the terrible man Trump was shown to be, therefore he must be right when he calls the media fake news. It does have a certain logic, however misguided these people are. Some of us with clearer heads could see it for what it was: Sexism. Racism. Bigotry. Xenophobia. Hate. Hate. Hate... So yes, I will blame the media for their poor choices to cover scandal after scandal instead of trying to make a fair campaign on topics that affect millions in our country. But the blame does not fall solely on their shoulders.
There is one other thing to blame for where we are today: sexism. Now I know this may turn some off immediately, but please give me a chance before you move on. Let's take a look at women in politics. Not 5 or 10 years ago, but even in the last 6 months. First, we have the most recent case of Maxine Waters. She was made fun of for her hair on national tv and it got very little coverage or outrage from the public. Heck, I've even seen people who dislike her defending the remarks or making worse ones. Look at what happened to Elizabeth Warren in the senate when they didn't want to hear her speaking out anymore. An obscure rule was implemented to shut her up, even though other men had read from the same letter on the same topic. Then let's look at how Hillary herself has been villainized for years. From not looking enough like a proper first lady of Arkansas when Bill first tried to run for the governor's seat to saying she wouldn't just sit back and bake cookies and serve tea in the white house, she's been hated on. Women who stand up and speak are hated in this country. Even when they say exactly the same thing that their male counterparts say. They are hated on, people try to shut them up, they don't get the attention that their male counterparts often get, and if none of those tactics work, people resort to making fun of their appearance. How this is still accepted I am not sure. How people in this country can state that sexism doesn't exist here, even with the evidence right in front of them, I don't understand. Why are we as women still trying to defend our own right to make healthcare choices ourselves -and- have them be covered by our health insurance?! It's because sexism is real. It exists daily in every city and state. And it is so commonplace, that few people seem to recognize it when it happens. Oh and it hurts. I get angry when I see my fellow humans told to sit down and shut up, or they'll tear apart your self image publically. No, scratch that, I get furious. Now I'm not some radical. I'm just a wife and mother, but I know sexism when I see it. It may not be as blatent as it was 50 years ago, but that doesn't mean it isn't permeating our lives and society.
So I'm looking at the complacency of our society for continuing to allow this. For not giving Clinton her air time to the same degree that Trump got it. For pretending we're all past that horrific time in history. And especially, for letting Trump win by continuing to silence the woman herself. She wasn't outright told she couldn't speak, but her speeches simply weren't covered.